Takashi the Fortune Teller
by Madame Kiksters
Summary: When word gets out that the Natsume Clan has been using the Forbidden Arts, it is decided that they must be punished for their crimes. The following week was a witch hunt. All that remained of the Natsume Clan was a young boy. Carried to safety by a spirit who promised to protect the clan's future, Natsume Takashi has a long journey ahead to right the wrongs of his past.
1. Chapter 1

A giant spirit beast streaked through the sky, mindful of the small child he held in one of his massive paws. Madara was careful to firmly hold the boy so his struggles wouldn't cause him to slip from his grip. It seemed too easy to crush him and end his clan once and for all. But Madara would be damned before he was responsible for wiping out the Natsume clan. The screams of dying men and women had been left behind ages ago but Madara could still hear them ringing in his ears.

 _Those damned exorcists._ Madara cursed.

After an hour of flying Madara felt the child go limp. Alarmed, Madara searched for a clearing to land. The closest one was an abandoned shrine in the middle of the dense forest. The spirit stumbled as he landed with only three of his legs. With as much tenderness as he could manage, Madara deposited Takashi Natsume on the soft grass. The child's face was red and streaked with tears, his eyes were noticeably swollen. Listening for Takashi's breathing, Madara could clearly hear he was breathing and was only asleep.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Madara realized he needed to ask for help. Of course, not directly, but bullying a lower level spirit to do the dirty work didn't seem nearly as humiliating. The only problem was finding one he could trust, that knew what it was doing, and wouldn't go running their mouth. He ran through a list of possible spirits, but none of them were competent enough to help raise a human child.

Resting on his haunches, Madara stared down at Takashi without seeing as he was lost in thought. It didn't feel like that much time had passed before the boy stirred. Yellow eyes snapped into focus as they watched the child startle awake. He looked around before he looked up into Madara's eyes. Takashi froze in terror before he started to cry into his hands again.

Madara clucked his tongue before he leaned down to the child slowly.

"Don't be afraid, Takashi. I won't hurt you. Your grandmother, Reiko, asked me to protect you." Madara reigned in his frustrations with the constantly crying child and managed a soothing tone. It appeared to work because the four-year-old boy quieted before he looked up once more into the spirit's eyes.

 _Ah, he has the same eyes as her._ Madara mused. _What did the humans call them? Fox eyes?_

The child's golden eyes shimmered with tears as he tried to calm his breathing.

"Where's my dad?" Takashi asked meekly.

Madara's eyes were downcast as he responded, "Kid, your family-"

"Couldn't take care of you anymore? Honestly, Madara, vague as always." A new voice interrupted. Madara's eyes snapped to a blue haired woman in an extravagant kimono leaning in the shade at the side of the shrine. Her red eyes illuminated by her pipe as she inhaled the smoke. As she continued to speak, the smoke curled out of her mouth, "Madara, how dull your senses have grown during your time with the humans to not notice my presence until now." She mused.

Madara ignored the other spirit's goading as he stepped closer to Takashi. The child was staring at the woman in disbelief.

"Hinoe." Madara greeted. "This is Takashi Natsume." He announced as he locked eyes with the other spirit. There was a heavy weight to his words and Hinoe knew that those _cursed_ humans had killed her precious Reiko. Her eyes welled with tears as she felt her throat constrict. She took another drag from her pipe and used that time to regain her composure.

"So, what do you plan to do with him?" Hinoe asked as she turned her gaze to Madara's eyes.

"I promised Reiko I would look after him. So, that's what I'm going to do."

" _You_ look after him?" Hinoe laughed, "He's better off with whatever villainous cretins caused him to be left in your care."

With a snort, Madara defended himself, "I can't imagine you know how to do any better. After all, Reiko entrusted _me_ with this job. Where were _you_ when she needed you? Maybe there'd be someone else to look after Takashi if you had been there too." Instantly, Madara regretted his harsh words. But he didn't back down as he straightened his posture.

Hinoe's eyes watered again before she felt a tug on her kimono. She looked down and found Takashi staring at her seriously. In her surprise, she forgot to feel the overwhelming disgust at being touched by a man.

"Don't cry. Pretty girls should never have to cry." Takashi recited from memory. He had overheard his uncle telling his younger cousin that same line once when she had fallen and scraped her knee. It made his cousin giggle and feel better so maybe it would work on this nice blue haired lady.

With a sniffle, Hinoe covered her face with the sleeves of her kimono. "I'm not crying. I'm angry with the brutes who hurt your family."

"My family is hurt?" Takashi cried out in alarm. He turned back to Madara, "Where's my dad?"

"It's like I was trying to say, kid." Madara's said his face full of remorse, "They're all dead. Some bad humans killed them."

"When will they be better enough so I can go back?" Takashi asked worriedly. He hoped it wouldn't be a long time.

Madara and Hinoe looked at each other helplessly.

"Never, Takashi. They'll never be able to take care of you again." Hinoe answered gently. With a little willpower, she managed to pet his head to try and soothe the child.

Takashi's eyes welled with tears again, "Well, where am I supposed to go?"

"You can be with us, Takashi. We will take care of you." Hinoe offered. Madara's eyes met with hers and there was a silent agreement that passed between them as Madara's eyes filled with gratitude.

"Is this where you live?" Takashi asked miserably as he looked around at the abandoned shrine.

"Uh, it could be. Do you not want to?" Hinoe asked.

"I guess this is fine." Takashi conceded. He finished looking around before he looked at Madara and Hinoe, "Where's the bathroom?"

Hinoe and Madara turned to look at each other. There was a quick battle of wills before Madara sighed and turned back to Takashi.

"Okay, the bathroom is wherever you make it. Just don't do it too close to home. You find a nice tree on the outskirts of your territory, raise up your leg and-"

"No. Just…no, Madara." Hinoe interrupted. "Takashi, come with me." Hinoe called as she walked into the forest surrounding the shrine's grounds.

Takashi followed her.

Madara watched the two enter the forest and smirked as they vanished from sight, he knew playing ignorant would pay off. There were a few minutes of silence before Hinoe emerged first, her face paler than ever and her hand covered her mouth to muffle her chant of, " _Humans are so gross. Humans are so gross._ " Takashi followed behind her, his face blushing at the act he'd just had to perform. At least next time he could go by himself.

Madara laughed at the pair of them for a long time after and would have a chuckling fit every once in a while for the next few days.


	2. Chapter 2

A few days had passed and Takashi still woke up thinking he was home. That his dad would be there to make him breakfast and tell him 'good morning'. Each time resulted in tears when he realized he was in the abandoned shrine. His meals consisted of the berries, nuts, and whatever fish was caught and cooked. When the feeling of homesickness ebbed enough for him to venture outside he often found Madara resting on the outskirts of the shrine's grounds. Hinoe would usually be finishing cooking his meals or sitting in a tree, lost in thought, as her pipe rested in her hands, the smoke more like incense as the pipe remained forgotten. Takashi never received a 'good morning' from them, and he didn't think it was a good enough morning to warrant that greeting at any rate. So, the four-year-old continued to feel more and more miserable as he began to fully understand the implications of his family's death.

On the sixth morning, Takashi woke up and knew exactly where he was. He sat up and got dressed in the soft robes that Hinoe had given him. When he was finished, he folded his nightshirt and left it with his hand-made bed. Hinoe had collected miscellaneous soft materials from around the human villages near the forest to make his bed.

He opened the door and greeted them with a quiet, "Morning."

Madara looked up at the sky as he agreed that it was indeed morning. Hinoe promptly smacked his massive shoulder and shot him a sharp look that clearly screamed, _Quit being so purposefully obtuse._ With a confident drag from her pipe she called, "Morning, Takashi."

Hinoe didn't even like humans, but even she knew they had greetings like this.

Takashi gave a small smile to himself as he drifted over to the two spirits. Hinoe placed a comforting hand on top of Takashi's head for a moment before she forced herself to remove her hand slowly. Takashi smiled up at her and Hinoe felt another crack in her icy heart. If she wasn't careful, she might find herself caring about this child past when it was time for him to leave.

"All right, you've said your hellos, time to go eat." Hinoe motioned to the wooden bowl found at another abandoned shrine nearby filled with berries and nuts.

Takashi nodded and sat down to eat. He had gotten used to his new diet and found a new appreciation for the unseasoned diet he had been living with. When he was finished, he thanked Hinoe and Madara and went to a nearby stream. Hinoe had showed him the stream the day after he lost his family. He filled his bowl with water and drank his fill before heading back.

When he got back he returned his bowl to Hinoe. Feeling more energetic than he had in days Takashi asked if he could go exploring. Not trusting the child on his own or the local spirits, Hinoe agreed if one of them escorted them.

Looking between the two of them, Takashi settled on asking Hinoe to go with him. He had grown used to both spirits' company, but Madara was still very large and intimidating to Takashi, so he felt more comfortable by default with Hinoe.

Hinoe stared down at the child in front of her for a moment before she offered her hand. Takashi watched the hand in confusion before he slowly brought his head closer, thinking that Hinoe wanted to pat his head.

"What are you doing?" The blue haired woman asked bemusedly.

"Don't you want to pet my head?" Takashi guessed. Hinoe chuckled, she gave the child a few quick strokes before she grabbed his hand.

"No, I wanted to hold your hand. You aren't a pet, you are the grandson of the woman I loved. You are worth trying to overcome my hatred of men for."

"You hate me?" Takashi asked dejectedly.

"Of course not. At this point, I don't think I could bring myself to either." Hinoe assured, realizing the truth of her words as she said them.

Madara huffed behind them, "Well go have fun without me. _Again._ I'll just be here."

Hinoe cooed mockingly, "Who's a good guard _dog_? _You_ are."

Madara half-heartedly lunged at Hinoe, who danced out of the way with Takashi in tow. "I am _not_ a dog." He cried indignantly before he stood and stretched his body regally, "I am a _magnificent_ specimen of power and a force to be reckoned with."

"Mmhmm. _Sure_ you are." Hinoe replied as she and Takashi left the clearing, Takashi clutching onto her hand fervently and more scared of Madara than he had been in a while. Not getting the sarcasm, or choosing to ignore it, Madara puffed up his chest proudly as he watched them leave the clearing. When they got far enough into the tree line he exhaled gustily before he flopped back down and rested his head on his paws.

Meanwhile, Hinoe and Takashi were enjoying watching the birds above them flit from one tree branch to another. They passed several low-level spirits who watched them curiously and whispered amongst themselves.

 _"_ _Is that Hinoe?"_

 _"_ _Impossible. That's a child of man. And a male one at that."_

 _"_ _Maybe it's actually a girl?"_

 _"_ _I don't… think so."_

 _"_ _Aww, what do you know about humans?"_

There was an embarrassed silence from the spirit who was so adamant that Takashi was a boy. Trying his best to ignore them, Takashi still didn't like the feeling of being judged. He wished that his dad was here to make them stop. He missed his family. His throat started to hurt in the way that always came before he cried.

"Takashi." Hinoe called to get Takashi's attention. "Would you like to return?"

Takashi looked down before he shook his head as he composed himself.

"Then don't let their words affect you. You are better than them."

Takashi didn't want to feel better than anyone. He just wanted everyone to stop judging him. He wanted to stop feeling so sad. He wanted to stop missing his family. He didn't want to remember the hurting. He didn't want to remember his family.

 _I can take all the pain away for you._

Takashi looked around him in panic.

"Did you hear that?" he asked.

"Hear what?"

Takashi paused and listened for any more of the voice he heard, but only the chirping of birds and whispers of spirits were found.

"Never mind, I guess it was nothing." Hinoe continued to stare at him in consideration before she shrugged and accepted his answer and continued their stroll.

When they reached the stream that Takashi had used that morning he slowed down and prepared to turn back, but Hinoe kept walking. They reached the water and Hinoe stared at the stream for a moment before she leapt across it. For her it was an easy jump, seeing as the stream was only a few feet wide. Takashi stared at her with an admiration Hinoe was unaccustomed to, she would deny the blush that dusted her cheeks or the pride that swelled in her chest.

"How'd you do that?"

"I jumped." Hinoe said with a noncommittal shrug.

Takashi looked at Hinoe a moment more before he turned his attention to what was, for him, an impossible jump. But if Hinoe made the jump and didn't bring him along, surely she thought he could do it. He felt a boost in his confidence as he took a few steps back. With a sharp inhale, Takashi yelled as he charged forward and jumped as he reached the edge. He made it about halfway over before gravity forced him into the water.

He surfaced with a sputter and found Hinoe wading towards him worriedly.

"Are you okay? Did you inhale any water? Come on, let's get you out of those wet clothes." Hinoe fretted, all too aware of how fragile human children were.

Takashi laughed at Hinoe's hovering. "I'm fine. The water isn't even all that deep. It feels nice." He closed his eyes and soaked in the feeling of the water flowing past him.

Hinoe studied the child in front of her and noticed that his face was dirty and his hair was slightly matted on the back of his head. Seeing that her kimono was ruined anyways, Hinoe used the sleeve of her robe to wipe Takashi's face.

The boy sputtered as he felt the pressure on his face and when he opened his eyes he was rewarded with the fabric hitting his eyes and causing him to squeeze them shut.

"What are you doing?"

"You are filthy. I'm taking you back and getting you some things to fix your hygiene problems."

Takashi didn't know what hygiene was, but he guessed it was the opposite of filthy.

"Okay." He agreed sullenly.

When Hinoe stopped, Takashi chanced opening his eyes and found her hand offered to him once more. Grabbing her hand, Takashi used her strength to stand up and wade out of the stream.

The low-level spirits chortled as they walked back. After a beat, Hinoe paused and covered Takashi's ears. Takashi didn't hear what she said, but could feel the vibrations of her words and the negative energy radiating off her from behind him.

He watched the spirits scurry away for a few moments before Hinoe released his ears and Takashi could hear their terrified screams.

"Come along, Takashi." Hinoe beckoned softly.

Nodding fervently, Takashi followed the spirit back home. When they reached what Takashi was starting to call home, Madara lifted his head and surveyed their appearance before he began to laugh softly.

"Just tell me, how far did you make it before you fell in?"

Takashi was flustered as he opened his mouth to admit that he hadn't made it very far at all before Hinoe answered for him.

"He almost made it to the other side. If the bank hadn't crumbled under his weight, he would have made it."

"Oh?" Madara asked interestedly. "Would you like some training? Then you and _I_ can go on adventures." The spirit offered excitedly.

Seeing the large beast act so playfully was a first for Takashi and with a shy smile he agreed.

Snorting confidently, Madara bragged about how much more entertaining it would be to go out exploring with him than with Hinoe. Takashi giggled in delight as Madara as the spirit continued to prance about the clearing acting ridiculously, unbeknownst to Takashi, to get the child to warm up to him.


	3. Chapter 3

It had been a few weeks since Madara had started training Takashi and already he was able to climb trees effortlessly and walk around the forest without making a sound. He had yet to be able to jump far enough to clear the stream, but Madara had promised that would change as he grew up.

His outings with Hinoe were just as enjoyable, but she focused more on taking in the beauty of nature and identifying the various plants and creatures in the forest. Takashi would go out and explore on his own for a few hours, but was restricted to remaining within Madara's hearing range to prevent any malevolent spirits from acting on any dangerous ideas.

Lately, Takashi had roped the local spirits into playing a game he and his cousins would play called spirits and exorcist. The game is played by one person being an exorcist and the rest are spirits. The spirits hide and the exorcist must find everyone else and shout, "Begone!". The "spirits" are then banished to the circle that was drawn previously and need to remain there until every "spirit" is found. He would later understand the implications of the game and be surprised that the spirits were okay with it. Although, Takashi never did get to be the exorcist, and the spirits seemed to enjoy the thrill of the hunt.

It had been a month, and Takashi was settling in even more to his new lifestyle. He would still wake up from a dream where he was still back with his family, but it was getting easier to bury the pain of remembering.

Sometimes, he would remember in the middle of the day, when he was playing with the local spirits. He would feel the pain and as he worked through it, he heard whispers in his mind. _I can help you forget. Let me help you._

It was eerie that none of the other spirits reacted, and when questioned if they heard the voice they all denied it.

It had been a week since he had started to hear the voice. He thought about telling Hinoe or Madara about it, but something told him to keep it to himself or something bad would happen.

Takashi noticed that the voice only spoke to him when he was missing his family. So, he did his best to try and forget them, so that he wouldn't be sad anymore. He knew the voice belonged to something bad and avoided doing anything that would encourage the spirit to attack.

"Takashi is acting strange." Hinoe said decidedly to Madara once Takashi had gone to bed.

"I noticed it too." The white beast agreed. "He hasn't said anything yet, but I can feel something off."

Hinoe nodded absently as she pondered over what the problem could be. As she was racking her brain, Madara was doing the same. Madara couldn't remember hearing anything suspicious, and Takashi hadn't said anything during their training sessions. Hinoe, on the other hand, was recalling all of the many conversations they'd had.

Before they realized how long they had been lost in thought, Takashi could be heard moving inside the shrine as he readied himself for the day. Hinoe was jerked from her thoughts as she scrambled to gather something for Takashi to eat.

"Good morning." Takashi greeted as he approached the two spirits.

"Good morning, Takashi. I'm afraid I don't have anything to eat for you right now though." Hinoe confessed.

"That's okay. We can find something together." Takashi offered before he looked down and fidgeted with his hands. "I mean, if it's okay." Hinoe patted his head with a chuckle and pulled him along.

They traveled to the stream where Takashi had fallen in not too long ago. Hinoe reached inside of her robes and pulled out what looked like a giant earring.

"What's that?" Takashi asked.

"A fish hook." Takashi looked on in wonder. "You attach it to a string and throw it into the water." She explained as she pulled out a long piece of white string and removed one of her robe's golden strings and tied it to the hook. Then, she tied the other end of the string to her pointer finger. She tossed the hook into the water and stood motionless for what seemed like ages to Takashi.

"What do we do now?"

"We wait."

A few minutes passed in silence as Takashi watched where the line disappeared into the stream before he turned back to Hinoe.

"How much longer?"

"Until I feel a tug."

"When will that happen?"

"As soon as you be quiet enough for the fish to bite the hook." Hinoe snapped playfully. Takashi didn't know she was kidding and so he nodded gravely as he sat down and remained mute.

A few more minutes passed and Hinoe felt a tug on her finger. At the second tug, she grabbed the line with her other hand and gave a great heave. A decent sized fish was pulled from the water and flew over to them before landing on the ground. It wriggled around violently for a few moments before Hinoe showed him how to end its suffering.

Takashi learned many lessons that day. He learned how to catch a fish, how to kill a fish as quickly as possible, and how to cook a fish. But, the most important lesson Takashi learned, was that he never wanted to do that again.

Hinoe and Madara continued to monitor Takashi closely, but he seemed to be fine. In fact, Takashi seemed to be doing better than they could have imagined. The two spirits spent many nights discussing how to approach the topic of Takashi's family's death but in the end, Hinoe decided she would just ask him how he was feeling.

The afternoon that Hinoe had decided to ask Takashi about how he was coping, was full of the chirring of cicadas. The sky had an orange glow and Madara had persuaded, read threatened, the other spirits to stay away from Hinoe and Takashi that day. The two were strolling down their usual path and listening to each other's stories.

There was a lull in conversation and Hinoe seized her chance. "So, Takashi."

"Yes?" Takashi asked as he continued to walk ahead, not yet realizing Hinoe had slowed down.

"There's something I'd like to ask you. About your family?"

Takashi continued to walk and only stopped to help a ladybug from a spider's web and onto a blade of grass. "My family?"

"What happened to them?" Hinoe prompted, but Takashi only turned to look at her in confusion. "Have you…" Hinoe started before changing the question, "Are you happy here with us?"

"I'm happier here than I think I have ever been in my life." Takashi replied with a bright smile.

"Ever? What about your family?" Hinoe asked astounded.

"What family? I thought you and Madara were my family?"

"We are. We are." Hinoe reassured him. "But, your other family. What about them?"

"I-" Takashi's brow furrowed in confusion as he thought deeply. "I can't remember." He paused before he turned to look at Hinoe again. "Did I really have another family?"

Hinoe felt her heart sink into her stomach and settle like a heavy weight as she came to a realization. The something off. This was it. Takashi had forgotten about his family. She debated with herself. Should she tell him about how his entire family had been murdered again, just to watch him suffer? She didn't want that. She felt a flash of guilt as she spoke.

"Of course not!" Hinoe answered with a convincing laugh. "I was just messing with you."

Takashi looked relieved as he realized that he had nothing to worry about. "You shouldn't do that to me, Hinoe. It's not nice!" Takashi lightly admonished as he marched back to the shrine grounds, Hinoe trailing along laughing.

Madara perked up when he heard the commotion and locked eyes with Hinoe as she came into the clearing. She shook her head minutely and he could sense that she wanted to talk to him later.

Madara dutifully played the part of ignorance as he asked what had happened and listened to Takashi and Hinoe's story. He contained his surprise at the "prank" that Hinoe had played on Takashi and let out a chuckle before being scolded by the child.

He forgave them after a few minutes and later, after he had eaten dinner, he bid them good night.

Once he slid the door closed Hinoe and Madara gathered closer to talk.

"This is it. This is what is so different about him." Hinoe explained.

"And you just _let_ him forget about his family?" Madara rebuked.

"What was I _supposed_ to do? Tell him, _'Oh Takashi, you did have another family, they all got murdered. Don't you remember?'_ I don't think so." Hinoe snapped as she defended herself. "Look, I'm not about to take a blessing in disguise for granted. What we need to focus on now is finding what did this to him and stopping it."

"Agreed." Madara answered. He let go, for now, the fact that Hinoe hadn't told Takashi about his family. "We are with him all hours of the day, and when we aren't we are within hearing distance. So, the question is. Where is this thing attacking him?"

"It would have to be when we aren't actively with him." Hinoe offered.

"That leaves when he is relieving himself in the forest and when he's sleeping. The only difference being that in his sleep, Takashi can't call for help." The two turned to the shrine where Takashi rested. Madara growled as he pounced on the roof of the shrine.

Hinoe stalked over to the shrine's doors and found Takashi inside asleep. In the corner of the room, Hinoe saw a shadow flash. She stepped into the room and noticed the malevolent energy around Takashi that stemmed from the shadow.

"Begone!" Hinoe demanded as she gathered her energy and sent it towards the spirit.

With a shriek, the spirit fled out of the door. Madara used the spirit's distraction as he pounced on the shadow and snapped his jaws around it. It thrashed around trying to escape as Madara gathered his own energy and cleansed the spirit. He spat it out and watched as the, now tiny, shadow vanished into the horizon. _Good riddance._ He thought.

Madara turned his attention back to the two inside and watched as Hinoe comforted Takashi, who had been startled awake by the commotion outside.

"What's going on?" the child asked groggily.

"Nothing. There was a bad spirit trying to hurt you, but we stopped it." Hinoe soothed.

"What was it trying to do?"

"Steal your memories." Madara answered.

"Did it steal any?" Takashi asked worriedly. Madara nodded grimly. Takashi looked down in confusion, trying to remember what had been stolen… he did not succeed. "What could I have forgotten?" the four-year-old asked as he alternated between staring at Hinoe and Madara.

Hinoe cleared her throat and motioned to Takashi as she gave Madara a pointed look.

Madara sighed as he turned to face the child. He looked into Takashi's eyes and saw himself reflected back. He opened his mouth to tell him that his entire family had been murdered. But, then he remembered the haunted and hollow look in Takashi's eyes that were no longer present. He glanced at Hinoe before he answered vaguely, "How should we know? I guess if it comes down to it, who cares if a few memories were stolen. If you feel fine, then they obviously couldn't have been _that_ important. Right?"

Takashi looked unsure as he answered, "I guess so."

Hinoe sighed in relief, as she instructed Takashi to go back to sleep, and assured him that she would stay with him. Madara watched them settle down and lay together as he felt something he could have sworn was guilt course through him. But, he shook off the feeling and settled down outside of the shrine. He would tell him one day. Just…maybe when he's older.


	4. Chapter 4

Takashi loved Hinoe very much. He appreciated all that she did for him, including all the frilly and extravagant robes that she made for him every few months. He tolerated her insistence that he let his hair grow so she could put it up in various styles.

But, Takashi would also like to go out without having to worry about dirtying his beautiful robes, or messing up his hair, or losing the various trinkets and hair pins that Hinoe used to style his long blond hair.

He was ten years old now, and thought that playing as Hinoe's living dress-up doll was increasingly tiresome. The other spirits would poke fun at him and call him a girl. Not that there was anything wrong with being called a girl, Hinoe had assured him. But, Takashi still didn't like the jeers. More than a few times this had happened, Takashi had taken it upon himself to punish the spirit bullying him with a solid punch. It didn't take very long for the spirits to realize that he was no easy target. Most of his previous tormentors steered clear of him after an afternoon spent clutching the spot that Takashi had punched.

Being older now, Takashi was allowed to venture into the forest alone. For a few weeks now, he had been going further than Madara's established hearing range, and enjoyed the thrill of breaking a rule. He was careful of the spirits he talked with, but most were content just to tell him stories of their adventures.

As he walked through the forest, he sulked over how the pin in his hair was just a little too tight today. He reached up and pulled the pin, a beautiful silver with a butterfly made of various jewels, from his hair. He sighed in relief as he brushed his hair out of his face.

"That's a mighty fine treasure you got there." Called a voice from above Takashi. The boy located the source and found a crow spirit sitting in a tree. "What would it take for you to give that to me?"

Takashi thought for a moment, "A story."

The crow sat up incredulous, "A story?" Takashi nodded. "Very well. Hand it over." Takashi smiled as he offered it to the crow. The spirit leaned over slowly before he snatched the pin from the boy's hands. With a laugh, the crow flew off. "Fool!"

Not to be conned in a deal, just like Hinoe and Madara taught him, Takashi gave chase. He pulled up his robes and dashed through the forest. He managed to keep track of the crow's location as it flew overhead. Its flight lasted for a few minutes before it landed in another tree.

Takashi reached the base of the crow's new perch and caught his breath before he shouted up at the spirit. "You didn't tell me a story!" He called reproachfully.

The crow was startled and fell from the branch he was sitting on. Once he was righted, he looked down and found the child he had just stolen the pin from. He rubbed the back of his head as he sighed and thought up a story. "Fine. Once upon a time… the end!" The crow cackled deviously as he took off again.

Takashi supposed that was a story. He decided to let the crow go for now since he had traveled quite far from the shrine. He tracked his way back to the familiar paths before he casually made his way back home.

Upon entering the clearing, Takashi was confronted by Hinoe.

"What happened to your hair pin?" she screeched.

"I traded it for a story?" Takashi answered unsure. Hinoe sputtered and it was clear her anger was the only thing stopping her from giving Takashi a verbal lashing.

Madara laughed, "I should hope it was a tale of epic proportions for you to have given away such a _precious_ gift." He mocked. "Though, judging from your face I would say it wasn't worth it."

Takashi blushed and looked down, feeling cowed.

"Well, what story did you get? One you've already heard?" Madara prodded.

"No…I've never heard the story before." the boy answered dubiously, if being raised by Madara and Hinoe had taught him anything, it was how to be devious.

"Was it too short for your liking?"

"Incredibly."

"Let's hear it." Madara demanded. Takashi took a breath.

"Once upon a time… the end." Takashi's eyes squinted in anticipation as he waited for their reactions.

There was a pause before Madara burst into laughter. Hinoe, on the other hand, was furious.

"You are going to march right back to this spirit, and you are going to either get that pin back or a story worthwhile! Do you understand me, Takashi?"

"Yes!" Takashi agreed instantly.

"Good." Hinoe huffed as she returned to her abandoned pot of fish stew she had been making before she noticed Takashi had lost the pin.

The next day, Takashi went back to where he had seen the crow spirit before. Not finding him, Takashi asked the nearby spirits if they had seen him. Most were more than glad to point him in the right direction because of the crow's thieving habits.

Takashi managed to sneak up on the spirit as it looked through the jewels of the pin into the sun. When he was within range he pounced on the spirit and pinned him to the ground.

"Now, you are going to tell me a story worthy of that pin whether you like it or not."

The crow froze, "So, you don't want it back?"

"No!" Takashi fervently shook his head, "As a matter of fact, I'd love to get rid of most of my hair pins."

"You don't say…", the crow mused to himself. "Very well. I'll tell you wonderful tales of my adventures, and you keep me supplied with treasures."

"Deal." Takashi agreed readily.

So, it is through this encounter that Takashi could rid himself of the gaudier jewelry he had, as well as make a new friend. For as the two continued to spend time together, they inevitably grew closer and became each other's first friend.


	5. Chapter 5

"All right, Kaname. How do you introduce yourself?" A young priest of a large shrine asked his small child.

"I give them my last name unless they give me their first name. Then I have to respect their trust and tell them _my_ first name." A small child replied, his dark hair matched his eyes.

"Do you remember why that is?" Kaname's father asked.

"Because names have power." Kaname replied with a sigh, it was clear that he had gone through this conversation every time he wanted to explore on his own.

Kaname's father smiled and ruffled his child's hair, "Very good. Remember to be back before sunset because-"

"That's when the spirits are most active. I _know_ , dad. I'll be back before then."

"All right. All right. Be careful."

With a cry of cheer, ten-year-old Kaname Tanuma ran into the forest surrounding his family's shrine.

The first thing Kaname did upon entering the forest was to find a large stick. Once he was satisfied with his choice, he continued on his expedition. He didn't get very far before he found his first enemy.

"Aha! Thought you could sneak up on me?" Kaname challenged a spider on its web. The spider, for its part, flinched when Kaname pointed his makeshift sword at it.

"Well think again!" Kaname announced before he let out a warrior's cry and swung his mighty blade down on the spider's trap. The spider, startled, began to frantically make its way off of its web and onto the branch of the tree.

"You'll not escape so easily, demon!" Kaname pulled his sword back for another blow, but the spider web was dragged along with it. Unfortunately, this caused the spider to be pulled towards him as well.

Panicked, the spider jumped from its web onto the child's clothes. Kaname screeched in horror as he desperately swatted at his clothes to dislodge the spider. The spider continued to crawl over Kaname until it jumped, again, into the bushes nearby. Kaname, who had no idea of the spider's whereabouts, began to run further into the forest as he continued to smack his clothes and ruffle his hair.

He traveled quite a distance before he was satisfied that the spider had been removed from his clothes. He huffed in exertion and calmed from his adrenaline high before he noticed that, in his panic, he had dropped his weapon. He fell to his knees and clenched his fists as he shouted to the sky, "Noo!" He then fell down onto his hands and knees. As he stared at the ground, he clutched at the dirt.

"You may have defeated me this time, foul wretch, but I will get you one day!" After a theatrical pause, Kaname stood up and brushed the dirt from his hands and knees. He could still feel a crawling sensation in his hair, but every time he scratched he found nothing.

He began to look around for another stick. When he didn't find one immediately to his liking he sighed and grabbed the sturdiest one. He drew several circles in the dirt of a clearing he found and tossed the stick away from him. Next, he jumped from one circle to another, careful to not step outside of the boundaries of the shapes. After a few hops, Kaname decided to make it more interesting.

"Better be careful, wouldn't want to fall into the river of doom." He muttered to himself. He looked around and found where the stick he'd had earlier had been discarded.

"The staff of protection!" He called. "If I can just make it over there, without falling in, I can use it to travel through the river of doom unharmed."

He hopped from one circle to another as he made his way over to the stick. Unfortunately, the circles he drew didn't make it far enough for him to reach the piece of wood. Kaname stared at the space between the edge of his circle and the grass that the stick was in. It was too far for him to jump.

He leaned forward and stretched as far as he was able. He was still a few inches too short.

"Darn. If only I had eaten my vegetables more." Kaname mourned as he recalled that his father told him he'd never grow if he didn't eat his veggies.

Taking a deep breath, Kaname closed his eyes and jumped from his stretched position to reach the stick. He hit the hard dirt and found that his fingers had just barely touched the stick.

"Yes!" He cheered as he pulled it close enough that he could grab it. "Now, nothing can stand in my way."

He stood up and walked further into the forest. He continued to play his games of make-believe before he realized how late it had gotten.

"Uh-oh." Kaname fretted. He quickly turned around to make his way back. "Dad's going to never let me explore again if I'm late."

The only problem was, he had no idea which way home was. He looked down and noted his footprints were visible. Feeling slightly relieved he tracked his footprints backwards. This continued to work until it got too dark to see anything.

Now, Kaname didn't believe that spirits would come after him. But, that didn't mean he wasn't scared of the possibility anyway. Squinting into the darkness, the boy continued to try and follow his footprints.

He managed to make his way to the clearing where he'd found his "staff of protection" without incident. Regrettably, this was where his luck ran out.

Takashi met up with the crow spirit, whose name he'd learned was Sozoku. It wasn't a name chosen by himself, but the other spirits. No one had called the crow's true name in so long that he had forgotten what it was, but he wasn't upset by that fact. He thought it made him cool. Takashi didn't think so, he thought it was a little harsh to only refer to someone as a petty thief to the point that their real name was forgotten.

Injustice aside, Takashi had brought along yet another trinket to trade with Sozoku. But this time, he had something other than a story in mind.

"Flying?" Sozoku asked as he admired his latest acquisition.

"Yes. I want to go flying. Specifically, I want _you_ to take me flying." Takashi said.

"Does Hinoe know about this?" the spirit asked.

"…She didn't say I couldn't." Takashi answered after a pause.

"Because she doesn't know?" The crow guessed with a smirk.

"Fine. She doesn't know." Takashi relented. "Are you going to take me or not?"

"Asking to do things you know your guardian doesn't approve of without their knowing about it? Takashi…I _love_ it!" He knelt on the ground and spread his wings wide open, "Well, hop on."

With a smile, Takashi clambered onto Sozoku's back carefully. He felt the crow spirit's hands under his knees as he secured his position before they rocketed into the air.

Takashi wrapped his arms around the spirit's neck as he mustered the courage to open his eyes and look down.

"Open your eyes, kid." He heard over the wind whipping passed his ears. He opened one eye and immediately had to shut it again.

"I can't!" He cried, "The wind's hurting my eyes!"

He felt their speed decrease and the wind began to merely caress his ears. "Try it now." He heard Sozoku order.

His left eye cracked open, when it wasn't instantly dried out by the winds he fully opened both of his eyes. He looked down and saw the trees passing underneath them. He could see the winding stream through the trees and even saw a shrine off in the distance. It was much larger than his own and there were a lot more buildings, but the statues that guarded the entrance of the shrine grounds were similar.

"This is amazing." The ten-year-old remarked in wonder.

"I suppose." He heard Sozoku's gruff voice and noticed that the crow's face was slightly flushed.

"Am I too heavy?" Takashi asked.

"Nonsense!" Sozoku denied, "You barely amount to a single feather."

"But your face is red?"

"That has nothing to do with you!" The crow was obviously flustered. In his floundering, he misjudged the weight on his back and Takashi slipped from Sozoku's back. "Ah!"

Takashi watched as Sozoku's eyes grew to probably match the size of his own as he fell with a silent scream. Sozoku regained his senses and dropped from the sky faster than Takashi and caught him just before he was level with the tops of the trees.

Takashi was too stunned to speak or else he would have yelled at the crow for dropping him followed shortly by a sincere 'thank you'. As it were, Takashi merely stared up into Sozoku's eyes with gratitude. When he managed to get his voice back, Takashi thanked the crow and silently forgave Sozoku for dropping him.

"That was too close, Takashi. Don't wriggle around so much next time." The spirit scolded.

"What?" _Forgive. Patience._ " _You_ were flailing around and I lost my balance!"

"Well, you could have held on better." Sozoku said simply.

Takashi took a deep breath. _In. Out._ "You know what, Sozoku? You are-".

 **"** **Noo!"**

"What was that?" Takashi asked, looking around wildly. "That sounds like someone in trouble. We have to help!"

"No way, kid. I'm not getting anywhere near that."

"Then let me down and _I'll_ go." Sozoku turned his head and peered at Takashi from the corner of his eye. There was a long moment before the crow sighed. "Fine."

They flew down close to where the voice cried out and Takashi saw a boy about the same age as him. He had black hair and when he caught a glimpse of his eyes he saw they were so black, they looked blue. _Was that a thing?_

"You may have defeated me this time, foul wretch, but I will get you one day!" the boy cried.

"Who's he talking about?" Sozoku asked. Takashi shrugged as he continued to watch the boy. He watched as the other child searched around for something before seemingly giving up. He picked up a stick and began to draw circles on the ground. _Why?_

Takashi watched in fascination as the other boy threw the stick near where he was hiding and began to hop from one circle to the next in a sort of ritualistic dance. He heard him mutter to himself about a river of doom. Was he practicing so that he could cross such a river? _How brave!_

The boy continued to hop for a time before he noticed the stick he had discarded. "The staff of protection! If I can just make it over there, without falling in, I can use it to travel through the river of doom unharmed."

Takashi inspected the piece of wood. It didn't seem very extraordinary, but the boy seemed to think it was quite powerful. He began to make his way closer and Takashi hid himself in the bushes, just like how Madara taught him so many years ago.

The boy stretched as far as he could but he still couldn't make it. Takashi watched with pity as the boy mourned his lack of a proper diet. The other child's face filled with determination as he jumped from his stretched position with his eyes clenched shut. Takashi knew that it wouldn't be far enough, so he took pity on the other and pushed the stick close enough for the boy to reach.

When the boy cheered with delight, Takashi felt warmth course through him. It always felt nice when he helped someone. Most of the spirits he helped would never show any gratitude because that would make them seem weak, so it was _very_ nice to see them smile.

Takashi continued to watch the boy, even after Sozoku had gotten bored and left him. When the sun began to set the boy seemed to panic before he looked down at the ground and began to follow his tracks back home.

The two made it to the "river of doom" practice course before Takashi sensed a malevolent spirit. The other boy sensed something as well.

"Who's there?" He called fearfully.

Takashi watched as an incredibly large spider spirit descended from the tree branches above them. It landed in front of the boy and opened its mouth. Its fangs dripped poison as it prepared to strike. The other boy was looking around frantically and that is when Takashi realized that the other couldn't see the spirit. Taking a deep breath Takashi rushed from the cover of the forest and snatched the staff of protection. He heard an indignant, "Hey!" from the other boy.

He wasn't sure if the staff would work against the spider, but if it allowed safe passage through the river of doom then it was worth a try.

"Get back!" Takashi ordered fiercely. He tried to sound like Madara when he was threatening the other spirits to leave him alone.

The spider chuckled a few times, the sound sent chills up Takashi's spine. He brandished his staff once more threateningly. When the spider lunged, Takashi was ready for it. When its face got close enough Takashi swung the staff with all his might. He prayed this was how it was supposed to work right before it connected. The force of the blow sent the spider flying out of the clearing. Taking his chance, Takashi grabbed the other boy's hand, "Come on, while it's unconscious!"

They ran until Takashi found familiar territory. When he got close to where his shrine was, Takashi was pulled to a stop.

"Wait! Stop!" The other boy demanded. "What was that back there?"

"A spirit." Takashi answered.

"A spirit?"

"Yes." Takashi watched the other boy as he grew more and more confused before he seemed to remember something.

"Ah. I'm being rude. My name is Tanuma." He offered his hand.

"Takashi." he said as he grabbed Tanuma's hand. He was startled when the other boy began to shake their hands. He yanked himself out of the other's hold and watched him warily.

"So…spirits." Tanuma started awkwardly. " _They're_ a real thing."

Takashi continued to watch him flounder for a moment before he nodded.

"You uh…you live near here? I live in a shrine near the forest myself. My family there keep the place clean and help people that come to us."

 _People?_ Takashi thought that was weird, but if that was what Tanuma's family did then so be it.

"Yeah. I live in the shrine nearby." He paused, "But not the same shrine as you…obviously." Now they were both standing there awkwardly. Takashi didn't know how to act around Tanuma. He had been watching the other all day, he had been bright and heroic if a little nonsensical. But now he was shy and careful. It was odd. That fact coupled with the one that the other had _no_ idea he had been watched all day made Takashi feel weird.

"Takashi. That's a weird family name." Tanuma offered.

"It's not a family name. It's my name."

"As in," Tanuma paused, "As in your _first_ name?" he finished incredulously.

"Yes." Takashi answered in confusion.

Tanuma was obviously blown away by this fact. "Do you just give _anyone_ your first name?"

"What other name is there to give?"

Tanuma slapped a hand over his eyes in clear exasperation. He muttered to himself something Takashi couldn't hear.

"Okay. My name is Tanuma Kaname. My given name is Kaname, while Tanuma is my family name. Do you understand? Didn't they teach you this stuff in you first year of school?"

"School?"

"Oh my-" Tanuma, no _Kaname_ paused as he collected himself, "The place where your parents send you to learn how to survive in the world."

Takashi understood now. Like when Madara would teach him how to run, hide, and hunt in the forest and when Hinoe would teach him about plants and animals as well various spirits. But, "What are parents?" he asked.

Kaname stood up straight as he examined Takashi. He spoke slowly after a long moment, "Parents are people who take care of you. Your mom and dad."

Takashi felt something in the back of his mind, but couldn't grasp it. When explained to him, he thought it was silly he didn't know these things.

"Do you have parents?" Kaname asked carefully.

"Oh yes. I have Madara and Hinoe. They take good care of me and taught me everything I know. We all live at the shrine together." Takashi heard the warmth in his own voice as he talked about them.

"Oh. Are they priests like my family?"

"Like _your_ family?" Takashi felt sick. He'd heard about priests and how they exorcised spirits. They were dangerous. But worst of all, as Hinoe taught him, they were humans. But that couldn't be right. Kaname was a spirit…like him. Why else would he be that far into the forest?

"Takashi?" Kaname asked worriedly.

No other way around it. It was best to just ask and clear the air, Takashi decided.

"Kaname?" he started, when he had the other's attention he continued, "Are you a human?"

"What?" Kaname asked in confusion. _Thank goodness._ Takashi would have hated that the first boy he'd met that was his age was a- "Of course I'm a human! Aren't you? What are you asking me?"

Takashi froze. He'd brought a human close to his home and essentially told him where it was. He'd told him his name. No, worse, he'd told him about Hinoe and Madara.

Takashi felt an uncharacteristically savage anger. It was betrayal and hurt laced through with disappointment in himself and worry for his loved ones. With a growl, Takashi shoved the human down.

"Go away!" He roared.

Kaname, not understanding Takashi's inner turmoil, thought perhaps there was another spirit nearby. With a surge of protectiveness, Kaname stood in front of Takashi and tried to shield him from the invisible enemy.

"Where is it?" he called in a panic.

"What?" In an instant Takashi's fury dulled and was replaced with confusion.

"The spirit! Did it catch up to us?"

Takashi didn't understand. Did this human think he could protect him from something he can't even see? The thought was absurd enough that his sudden influx of emotions bubbled out of him with laughter. He couldn't believe he thought that this child in front of him was a threat. Maybe…humans were like spirits. There were decent ones as well as bad ones.

Takashi hoped Kaname Tanuma was one of the decent ones.

"Why are you laughing?" Kaname asked with frustration.

"There's nothing. It's okay."

Kaname was more confused than before. "Why did you push me and tell me to leave? Wasn't the spirit here to hurt us again?"

Takashi watched Kaname for a moment before he shrugged, "Who knows?" Madara taught him that response and called it, _a classic_.

"Are you serious? You're freaking me out, Takashi!" Kaname replied, he realized that the hostility he'd sensed from before was gone.

Takashi laughed, "For someone who is bent on crossing the river of doom, you sure do scare easily."

Kaname sputtered before he managed to speak. "You were _watching_ me?" he screeched in embarrassment. He paused to think about how long ago that was before his pale face filled with color. That had been ages ago!

"Yeah." Takashi answered as he rubbed the back of his head, something he'd picked up in his time with Sozoku, "I must confess, I pushed the staff of protection close enough for you to grab."

"Staff?"

"You know, the staff of protection. I used it on that spider spirit back there."

" _You_. Used a _stick._ To _beat…_ a _spirit_? Who even _are_ you?" Kaname asked incredulously.

"I told you." Takashi answered with a smile, "My name is Takashi."


	6. Chapter 6

After the metaphorical dust had settled between the two boys, Takashi offered to escort Kaname home.

"I'm not a girl, Takashi. You should go back home and I'll find my way back."

"What's wrong with being a girl?" Takashi challenged.

Kaname raised his hands defensively. "Nothing. I'm just saying. A man can make his way back home on his own. Girls usually have an escort." He didn't want to offend Takashi. Not only was the child in front of him his first friend, but Kaname thought that Takashi was _very_ pretty.

"If you don't know the way, it just makes sense to have a guide. Besides, what if you crossed paths with another spirit. _You_ can't do anything." Takashi replied derisively. Hinoe was a girl, and Takashi loved and respected her too much to let some human child talk bad about girls.

Kaname held up his hands again, this time in defeat. "Fine. You win, Takashi." His father was right, pretty girls are _never_ allowed to be wrong. He bowed humbly and asked, "Please guide me home?"

Takashi blushed in embarrassment. "Stand up and let's go. I need to be home soon or Madara and Hinoe will worry."

Takashi led Kaname to the edge of the forest and followed the tree line until he saw the large shrine grounds in the distance. "Here you are. Be more careful from now on. Humans can get hurt too easily for you to be wandering in these woods alone."

"But, Takashi-", When Kaname turned around he found himself alone.

Takashi hurried back home, his head full of all the things he'd learned today. He hoped that he could keep the human as his friend and teach him all about the spirits and that he didn't need to exorcise them.

With a smile, he entered into the shrine grounds where he lived. It wasn't nearly as large and grand as Kaname's. There was a single building, where Takashi slept, and a few crumbling statues. Nothing like the awe-inspiring beasts that seemed to guard Kaname's shrine.

Madara's head perked up as he sniffed the air. He'd smelled something odd earlier but Takashi hadn't called out for help, so he let it be. His head was pounding from all of the alcohol he'd had earlier and he was still dizzy as he assessed Takashi's appearance. There was that trace human smell that no matter how Hinoe and he had tried, just wouldn't fade. But there was something underneath it. He couldn't quite place it. He'd smelled it before…all this thinking made his head hurt.

"Hello, Madara." Takashi greeted. Hinoe was out, probably seducing unsuspecting women. _The nerve of her, leaving the two of them when she had a child to take care of._ Madara thought.

Madara grunted in reply. Takashi approached him slowly and was stopped momentarily by the pungent stench that was alcohol. With a huff, Takashi came closer and rubbed Madara's massive forehead as he rested on the ground.

"Do you want me to get you a cloth soaked with water?" he asked quietly. Mindful of the headache the spirit was suffering from.

After a pause, Madara nodded slightly with a whine. Sighing with exasperation, Takashi went inside to grab one of the many cloths he had. He made his way to the river and back in record time and carefully draped the cloth over Madara's eyes.

He sat beside the spirit and pet the fur of his neck. The rhythmic breathing and the softness of the fur lulled Takashi to sleep within a few minutes.

"Kaname!" Kaname flinched as his dad yelled with a mix of relief and frustration. He closed the door he'd opened as slowly as he could before he turned to face his father.

"Hey dad." He answered guiltily.

His dad raised a single eyebrow as he waited for an explanation. "Okay. So…I know I didn't make it back before the sunset, but it wasn't my fault. I got lost. If it wasn't for that nice girl I met I'd probably be-"

"Girl?" Kaname's dad interrupted.

"Yeah. She's really pretty! Her name is Takashi, and she's _really_ strong. But not as strong as you though, dad. She's my age too. And the best part?" Finally, Kaname paused to take a breath. "We exchanged our first names." Kaname looked up dreamily as he remembered Takashi's face.

Kaname wasn't like most boys his age. While others of his age scrambled around picking on girls they wanted to notice them, he was off studying or cleaning at the shrine. His father was equal parts thankful and fearful for child's demeanor. On the one hand, it meant Kaname would likely grow up successful and wouldn't leave him to run off and get married. But on the other hand, Kaname might end up alone, plus there wouldn't be any grandchildren to carry on the line since Kaname was an only child.

Exchanging first names was the first step in any significant relationship. It was believed that giving someone your first name gave them power over you, and it only worked if the person intended for you to know. This is why it is only polite to exchange first names so that neither party has total control.

"Kaname," his father began, "I'm glad you made it back safely and I'm glad you made friends with a girl your age." He took a moment to choose his words carefully. "Where did you say this girl lives?"

Kaname wasn't didn't think he'd told his dad where she lived but answered at any rate. "She _also_ lives in a shrine near the forest."

Kaname's father paused in thought. He couldn't recall any other shrines nearby. How far had his son traveled?

"Well, it wasn't _near_ the forest so much as it was _in_ the forest." Kaname mused aloud.

"Kaname…there aren't any shrines in the forest. The only one I can think of is an old abandoned shrine that belonged to the Natsume Clan. But even they didn't maintain it when they owned it. Rumors claimed that there was a beast sealed there long ago but they released it to guard their home. Well, a woman named Natsume Reiko did."

Kaname looked down in thought. He didn't think Takashi was lying to him about where she lived. He supposed he would just have to ask her when he saw her again.

"At any rate," Kaname's father loomed threateningly over his son, "Don't think you've distracted me from the fact that you were out way later than you should have been. And _don't_ think that your adventures excuse your punishment. I want you to sweep the paths of the shrine grounds all the way from the entrance to the storage shed we have out back."

Kaname opened his mouth to complain but when he saw the look on his father's face his jaw snapped shut. He gave a respectful nod before he was excused to go wash up so he could eat dinner with his father, who had been too anxious to eat as his son's return became later and later.

Kaname knew, that was an awkward dinner he wished he could avoid.

The next day, Madara was able to remember the scent he'd detected yesterday. _Incense_. The only place Takashi would have come into contact with that stuff was if he'd had contact with humans. He watched as Hinoe played with Takashi's hair as he sat impatiently waiting for her to finish. He didn't seem too worse for wear, but who knew the inner workings of that child's mind?

As he debated bringing it up, Hinoe finished styling Takashi's hair. The child smiled and thanked Hinoe sincerely for always taking care of him. Madara could have sworn that Hinoe swooned for a moment.

"Hinoe." Takashi paused. "Would you mind if I called you, mom?"

 _Who is teaching my Takashi these filthy human terms?_ "Why do you ask?" Hinoe inquired stiffly.

"Well. I met a human yesterday and he told me about moms and dads…and stuff. I just thought the idea of parents was nice. You are the closest I have to them. When I think of putting the words dad and Hinoe together it doesn't sound right. But, I figured mom didn't feel too weird." Takashi rambled before he stopped himself and noticed Hinoe's stiff posture. "If you don't like it, that's fine. It's just a stupid human thing anyway. I know how much you hate them. Sorry."

Hinoe bit her lip and shared a quick look with Madara.

"Takashi. There's something we've been meaning to tell you. For a while now."

"Yes?" the boy looked up at her innocently.

"You see…you're not-" Hinoe paused before she confessed, " _You're_ a human, Takashi."

Takashi thought he might have misheard her or maybe they were playing a cruel trick on him. This was, by far, the meanest one yet. "No. I'm a spirit. Like you guys. Right?"

Hinoe's eyes began to water and Madara looked down in shame. "Takashi-" she began.

"NO!" Takashi denied angrily. "No. I can't be a human. You said they were bad. You said they killed spirits. _You_ said that I _wasn't_ human!"

"Takashi." Madara started, when he got the child's attention he continued. "Takashi. You _are_ a human. I saved you from what the humans called a witch hunt. They killed your entire family right in front of me. I saved you at the request of your grandmother, Reiko. When you were here," Takashi began to shake his head as he covered his ears, but the words could still be heard, "a spirit ate your memories. Do you remember?" Takashi _did_ remember. "We used it as an opportunity to give you a fresh start. We didn't want you to be sad anymore."

"So you lied?" Takashi finished brokenly.

Madara and Hinoe watched as Takashi sunk to the ground in defeat. He was quiet as he absorbed all of the information and connected dots he hadn't thought to before.

Takashi, his face stained with tears, peered up at the two of them. His young face full of hurt and love and betrayal. He asked, "Do you hate me now?"

If they had needed to breathe, Madara and Hinoe's breath would have been stolen by the blow they felt in their chests. Hinoe gathered Takashi in her arms and Madara curled protectively around them, "We could _never_ hate _you_ , Takashi."


	7. Chapter 7

That was one of the longest days Takashi had ever had the displeasure to experience. He had been told the story of how Madara had been sealed into this very shrine for years by the Natsume Clan. It had been Takashi's grandmother, Reiko, who had finally freed him. She only asked that he ensure her grandson's survival. Apparently, Madara was just going to wait until no one was looking before he ate him, but the day after he'd been released was when the surrounding exorcist clans gathered and attacked the Natsume Clan.

They'd gathered men, women, and the few children who had been born into the in-laws' side of the family. Takashi's father had placed his son in front of the statue Reiko had asked Madara to wait at. He rubbed a sleeping Takashi's head before he turned to give himself up.

 _"_ _The sleeping draft should last a few hours. Make sure he gets away…thank you."_ He'd said.

That was the last thing Madara heard before the attackers began to slaughter everyone. With no small amount of horror at the brutality of the exorcists, Madara gathered Takashi in one of his paws and flew to the shrine he'd been imprisoned in for so long.

And now, here he was. Takashi was a little thankful that he hadn't been burdened with this information his entire childhood. With his memories still missing, it sounded like a horror story that happened to someone Takashi didn't know. He felt detached from his past. He wondered if he should feel guilty that he had forgotten everyone.

He recalled the next morning after his memory had been stolen when the spirits asked if he wanted to play Spirits and Exorcist to help cheer him up. They'd explained that he had taught them that game a short time ago. At the time, Takashi only thought of saving face in front of the spirits by pretending he'd only momentarily forgotten the game.

Takashi shuddered at the thought that he'd played such a cruel game with the spirits. He wondered if they understood the implications of the game. He finally realized that they knew he was human, and that was probably why they never wanted him to be the exorcist.

So many things fell into place now. The spirits all treated him the same, but Takashi now knew he was different from them. _He_ was now the only thing that was out of place.

Takashi continued to feel miserable until a conversation between Sozoku and him happened.

"You know, Takashi. Just because you're stuck in a human body, doesn't mean you aren't a spirit." Uncharacteristically sage words from the crow.

"What do you mean?" Takashi asked monotonously.

"I mean, look at me!" He gestured to his body, "I was in a crow's body, but after I died, I came back as a spirit. There are loads of spirits who had bodies and other lives from before they became spirits. Even if they can no longer remember them." He finished quietly.

Takashi thought on his words for the next few days and began asking the spirits he felt most comfortable with about their lives before becoming spirits. Most were willing to share their tragic history. Though, it was only Takashi who thought it was sad. The spirits themselves had moved on from the pains of the past and were enjoying their new lives as spirits. After those interviews, Takashi agreed with Sozoku. Living things were just spirits trapped inside of bodies.

All of a sudden, the murky atmosphere around Takashi cleared and he was back to playing in the forest and causing minor mischief for the spirits. The very forest itself seemed to be lighter with the echoes of the ten-year-old boy's laughter bouncing off of the trees.

It had been over a week now, and Kaname had yet to hear from Takashi again.

He was starting to get worried. What if Takashi never even made it back all those nights ago? Just as he felt the anxiety reach its climax, he saw Takashi emerge from the bushes on the outskirts of the shrine grounds. Kaname dropped the broom he'd been leaning against and rushed over to his friend.

At the last second, he slowed and collected himself. He walked at a more sedated pace as he waved coolly, "Yo." He greeted. He'd seen the teenage boys in the market acknowledge each other like that and thought it was incredibly cool.

"What?" Takashi asked.

"Uh. It means hello." Kaname explained.

"Oh…yo?"

Kaname laughed, "Come on, my dad said he wanted to meet you!"

Takashi was still a little wary of all the humans around him. But, he supposed none of them looked evil. He wasn't quite sure what an evil human looked like, but surely these people weren't it?

His hand was grabbed by Kaname before he was dragged along to meet his father.

When he first saw the man, Takashi was surprised by how nice he looked. Would this be how his dad would have looked? Takashi wondered.

"Dad, this is Takashi. Takashi, my dad!"

"So _you're_ the girl Kaname's been going on about?" he asked with a laugh.

"What?" Takashi asked stiffly.

" _Dad!_ " Kaname complained.

" _What?_ " Takashi asked again.

"I think you should tell him, Takashi." Kaname's dad offered with a twinkle of mischief in his eye.

"Tell me what?"

"Kaname. I. Am. A. Boy." Takashi explained shortly.

"But you….I thought. Hang on, what about your-"

"Hair and choice of fashion?" Kaname could only nod at Takashi's words, "Hinoe likes my hair long so she can style it. She also makes my outfits. Just because you see long hair and pretty clothes on girls doesn't mean that wearing those things _makes_ you a girl." Takashi justified. He'd repeated these words to himself almost every day since he'd started getting teased by the spirits.

"Ahh. This Hinoe sounds like a lovely woman." Kaname's father mused.

"Of course! She's the best!" Takashi stated proudly.

Kaname, who had managed to collect himself, spoke again, "So you're… _not_ a pretty girl?"

"I'm a _boy!_ " Takashi's face was slightly flushed in anger. If Kaname continued being stupid like this, Takashi would have no choice but to teach him the same lesson all those spirits had learned from teasing him too much.

Kaname's face paled as he realized the girl of his dreams was now a boy. He felt heartbroken, like he'd lost his first love. Which was ridiculous, because Takashi never said that he was a girl and never made any romantic gestures to Kaname in the first place.

Kaname's father laughed loudly at his son's error before he stood and patted Kaname's back. "There, there." He soothed. "At least Takashi is still your friend."

"If he continues to act this way, I may reconsider it." Takashi threatened. Kaname perked up and rushed to stand in front of Takashi, his hands held in front of him as if readying to restrain his friend from leaving.

"I'm done! I'm done." Kaname paused before he kneeled on the ground, "I am sorry for thinking you were a girl, Takashi."

"Stand up! Stop doing that. I don't like it."

Kaname stood and bowed with a flourish, "As you wish."

Takashi sighed in exasperation as he looked up beseechingly.

"Great." Kaname's father clapped. "Now that you two have made up, how about you show him the grounds of Yatsuhara."

As the two boys left, Kaname's father smiled as he heard Takashi ask, "Are there _really_ eight fields?"


	8. Chapter 8

Weeks went by, and Takashi spent a lot of his time visiting the Tanumas at Yatsuhara. Kaname's father even roped him into helping out with his son's chores. Takashi didn't mind. He found the chores fun, in their own way. He didn't understand Kaname's dislike for them until the fourth week in. It seemed no matter how much they cleaned, or how often. It would just get dirty again.

These chores were an exercise in futility that eventually brought Takashi's mood down to the point that Kaname's father had noticed.

"What's the matter, Takashi?"

With a sigh, the boy leaned his broom against a wall before he turned to face the monk.

"Why do we even bother with these chores? It just gets dirty again."

Kaname's father assessed Takashi for a moment before he beckoned the boy to follow him. He led him to the main building and opened the door. Takashi peered inside _. It was much nicer than his own._ He noted.

"What do you see?"

Takashi thought for a moment. He tried to guess what the monk was asking of him before he ventured, "A clean room?"

"Exactly. Kaname and I keep this place tidy through everyday chores. Now follow me."

The man led Takashi to an old shed at the edge of the property that was partially obscured by the trees. He struggled to open the door and when it was finally fully opened, the dust that was collected inside escaped.

Coughing, the monk asked, "What do you see in here?"

 _A mess_. There were items stacked halfhazardly, dust coated every surface in a thick layer. The air was so clouded with particles, Takashi and Kaname's father began to sneeze uncontrollably.

After the dust settled again, Takashi reported that inside was decidedly _not_ clean.

" _This_ is what happens when chores aren't done. The mess gets bigger and bigger until it becomes a huge problem, like this."

Nodding with newfound wisdom, Takashi followed Kaname's father back to where he'd left his broom after the monk closed the shed's doors. He picked up the broom and began to sweep with renewed determination.

Later, when Kaname complained about the never-ending work they did, Takashi explained that if they didn't do these little things every day, it would turn into a huge mess. Kaname sighed, having already heard that lecture from his father ages ago. He decided he'd wait until Takashi realized how tiring and boring chores were again.

It had been over a month and Takashi continued to visit his friend at the shrine.

One day, however, Kaname excitedly pulled Takashi along to watch his father doing his _intended_ job. Takashi asked a lot of questions, but Kaname refused to answer him.

They arrived at the side door leading to the main building where Kaname snuck them inside. The scene that greeted them looked very foreboding to Takashi.

Kaname's father stood in front of a woman. Just behind the woman stood a dark figure. It muttered to itself with words Takashi could barely hear. " _Give it…give…back. Put it back."_

The figure sounded upset. Takashi felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He tuned out the words spoken between the monk and the woman and focused on the figure, that was without a doubt, a spirit.

It must have sensed Takashi's presence because not a second later did the spirit lock eyes with Takashi. He could clearly see the weary face of a young woman. "Make her give it back. My beloved's ring-"

In that instant, whatever Kaname's father had been saying was finished and as he thrust out his palm, a burning light consumed the spirit. Her cries of agony wrenched Takashi's heart.

In the next moment, she was gone. Her spirit was like it had never existed.

Standing suddenly, Takashi felt sick. He'd _trusted_ these people. All that spirit wanted was her ring back! These _humans_. He thought the word like a curse before he paused and collected himself. When Kaname asked what was wrong, Takashi brushed him off as he approached the woman.

"Takashi?" He heard Kaname's father call in surprise.

"Was there a ring you picked up a while ago?" he asked boldly.

The woman paused in thought before she reached into a bag she was carrying with her. "Oh, yes. My son found this and brought it home for me. It was too big for my finger so I just kept it in my bag. I thought it was so sweet of him, but it really is an ugly thing." She revealed a simple band of metal that had been warped with age. It had chips and scratches everywhere on it. It was apparent that the woman had tried to clean it as best as she could.

"Would you let me get a closer look?" Takashi asked as he held out his hand.

"Oh, sure." She gently placed the ring in Takashi's offered hand.

Turning the ring around, Takashi noted there was writing on the inside of the metal band. It was in a language Hinoe and Madara had taught him in his younger years. The language of the spirits. If he was reading correctly, it said _May we never be apart._ Getting upset all over again, Takashi gave the ring back to the woman before he excused himself to go outside.

He could have _done_ something. That spirit didn't have to die. If only he'd acted sooner. He sulked for the rest of the day, and Kaname had enough sense to just let him be. He didn't know what was wrong with his friend, but he had a feeling it was something to do with what he'd witnessed happen at the cleansing his father conducted. So, he felt responsible for Takashi's sour mood and began to feel depressed as well.

Kaname's father rubbed the back of his bald head in frustration, he didn't know what had upset the two boys and neither of them would answer when asked. Unable to help his only child or his first friend, and feeling like it was his fault, _he_ began to feel depressed.

The rest of the day was spent mostly in silence.

The next day arrived and Takashi appeared right after the sun rose above the tree line. He seemed much more cheerful, which the Tanumas were eternally grateful for.

Takashi had resolved to help spirits who had gotten themselves stuck on a human before they too met the same fate. He was at the shrine every day from the time the sun rose until it set. He would complete his chores in record time before standing guard at the entrance to the shrine grounds.

Even when he played with Kaname, he kept shooting glances toward the beginning of the shrine grounds.

It was a week after he began his self-appointed mission that he got his first opportunity.

An old woman approached the shrine at a sluggish pace, her back slumped over. Behind her, was a large bird spirit. He had never seen anything like it before. It kept pecking at the old woman's shoe, each time it did the woman would trip or stumble. Wasting no time, Takashi approached with confidence.

"Excuse me? Would you mind if I took a look at your shoe? You seem to be having trouble." Takashi explained.

The woman looked at him in confusion before she understood his request. She reached down to carefully remove the shoe he was pointing at. "I have been having the worst luck today. I can't seem to take two steps before I fall flat on my face. I've spent half of the day just trying to make it to the temple to see if the monk here can help."

She handed the shoe to Takashi. He looked inside and found a smooth, shiny rock. He reached inside and pulled it out. The bird snatched it from his hand and swallowed it. It looked at him in consideration for a moment, before it ruffled its feathers and ran off.

"Did you find something?"

"Yeah. I think your misfortunes are over." Takashi assured as he gave the woman back her shoe and helped keep her balance as she put it back on her foot.

"I hope so." She took a few cautious steps. When nothing happened, she took a few normal ones. With a choked laugh, she turned and ran back to Takashi. "Oh, thank you, young man! Do you work here?"

"Sort of. I help the Tanumas around the shrine every day." A thought occurred to Takashi, "Can you do me a favor?"

"You're not going to ask for money, are you?"

"What? No. I was just going to ask, if you know other people who are having these…occurrences of misfortune, would you let them know that Takashi, up at Yatsuhara shrine, is willing to help them out?"

"Of course!"

"Oh, and let them know it's free."

"Such a precious child!" The woman remarked as she turned around to leave. She was almost out of sight before she turned and waved happily at Takashi. After he waved back, the woman nodded and finally left.

Many people had come after that. Most of them had a spirit attached to them simply because they had picked up something that belonged to the spirit. More often than not, it was something the person couldn't even see or touch to get rid of anyway.

After a few weeks, Takashi had people coming from nearby settlements to get their misfortunes cured. Sometimes, Takashi even relayed messages from benign spirits who simply wanted to warn the human of impending dangers.

Takashi the Fortune Teller, they'd started calling him.

After six years of this, Kaname's father pulled him aside one evening.

"Takashi, there's something that Kaname and I want to show you." He began to walk to the back of the shrine's grounds. "We've been working on this for a few months now, since you've been so popular. It seems fitting that you get your own space."

They reached the storage shed. Kaname was standing outside waiting eagerly. "I present to you," he slid the door open with ease, "Your own place!"

Takashi looked inside. The dust that once caked everything was removed. The shed had been repainted and rooms had been installed with a few carefully placed walls and doors. From the doorway, Takashi could see a table with three chairs around it. The door to the room in the back was open and inside was a bed with a storage box for clothes. In the room next to it, Takashi could see a washtub and toilet. _No more going in the woods_! He rejoiced.

Kaname mistook Takashi's stunned silence for displeasure as he mentioned, "If you don't like it, that's fine. We just thought maybe, since you're here every day. You might want to be closer. We know you are still wary of the buildings on the shrine grounds, so we figured maybe this would be far enough away but-"

"Kaname!" Takashi interrupted with a laugh. "Thank you." He looked Kaname's father in the eyes, "Both of you. I appreciate this more than you can imagine, but first I need to talk to my family."

Relieved that Takashi hadn't outright refused their offer, the Tanumas assured Takashi the offer was open as long as he needed it.

"Absolutely _not_." Hinoe declared.

"But I'm there all the time anyway." Takashi argued.

"Exactly! It's bad enough that you are spending so much time with humans, now you want to live among them?"

"Hinoe, you knew this day would come." Madara admonished gently.

"But it's too soon." She whined pitifully. Even though Takashi was sixteen now, he was still that little ten-year-old boy running through the forest with joy in Hinoe's mind. For her, the time felt like she'd blinked and here he was, asking her if he could leave.

"Hinoe," Takashi grabbed her hand and placed it on his head. She chuckled sadly before he continued, "I am helping so many spirits and people and _no_ one gets hurt."

Hinoe looked into Takashi's sincere eyes and realized, for the past few years, she'd loved them as Takashi's eyes and not _Reiko'_ s eyes. _Dammit_ she knew this would happen, yet here she was anyway.

"I want you to visit often, do you understand?" Hinoe finally relented. Takashi smiled and accepted her demand. He gave a teary hug goodbye after he gathered his belongings. As he made his way back he felt Madara following him.

"Thank you, Madara. But I don't want Kaname to freak out because he can feel your spiritual power and his father exorcise you."

"Let him try!" he snarled fiercely, "I'm coming with you and that's final."

Takashi dropped his meager belongings and turned to Madara. "Please," he begged, "I don't think Hinoe should be alone right now. If she didn't hate humans so, she could probably come with me. But I know she has her reasons and I won't ask for the impossible. So please, stay with her?"

Madara's ears fell flat against his skull as he lay on the ground in front of Takashi. His eyes conveying, he would stay… but he wasn't happy about it. Takashi smiled with relief as he approached Madara's face. He hugged the spirit's snout and carded his fingers through the beast's fur. "Thank you." He whispered fiercely.


	9. Chapter 9

Takashi looked around at his home. He had been living here for two years now and his collection of meager belongings was accumulating. The people that came to him often left him various gifts. He'd received everything from food and trinkets, to furniture and jewelry.

He occasionally had an argument with someone if they _demanded_ he helped them, even when there was no spirit involved. Those people were quickly thrown out and labeled greedy by everyone in the shrine's proximity before nightfall. Kaname was his self-declared bodyguard and refused to let shady people near his friend.

Both boys were eighteen now. Takashi still looked pretty to Kaname (along with the rest of the people who frequented the shrine), but in the way that a flower was. He'd long since moved on from Takashi and had resigned himself to the fate of humble bodyguard and friend to his first love.

Kaname, on the other end of the spectrum, had filled out. All his years of chores and throwing people out had caused him to gain muscle quickly. For the past few months, no one had even tried to do anything untoward to Takashi for fear of Kaname's wrath.

Takashi still visited Hinoe and Madara. Apparently the two were working through Hinoe's hatred of humans so that they could visit him occasionally. She could last a whole ten minutes in the presence of a human man now. Takashi was very proud of her.

It was late in the afternoon when Takashi heard someone knock on the door. Puzzled by who would be knocking at this hour, Takashi approached the door warily. He opened the door slightly and saw what he would have described as a child, as the picture of an evil human. His loosely tied long black hair partially obscured an eyepatch with strange markings on it. His smile did the opposite of shine and if he wasn't mistaken, the man had _black_ eyes.

"Can I help you?" he asked cautiously from the slightly opened door.

"Are you Takashi the Fortune Teller?" He looked and didn't see a spirit standing near the stranger.

"No." He moved to slide the door closed when it was shoved open. His shoulder slammed into the wall from the force. He squinted an eye through the pain and watched as something black slithered back outside while the stranger intruded.

He looked around like he was offended by the sight of Takashi's living quarters. "I don't like being lied to, Takashi. I _know_ who you are."

"If you knew, why bother asking?" Takashi hissed as he rubbed his sore shoulder.

The stranger shrugged, "Social protocol." He answered simply.

"Doesn't _social protocol_ disapprove of barging into someone's house uninvited?" at Takashi's words, the stranger turned and appraised Takashi for a moment.

"I'd hardly call this a house, _Takashi_." The blonde felt a shiver run through him. He'd never believed in the power of control if someone had your name, but he was starting to understand why people did.

Feeling unnerved Takashi called out for Kaname's help. He found himself slammed into the wall in front of the door. His sore shoulder throbbed in pain as the stranger gripped him on either side.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, _Takashi_." The stranger purred. "You might get your friends hurt."

Forgetting himself, Takashi reverted back to his days of living in the forest. With a fierce growl, he clawed and snapped at the man holding him.

"My, my. How _fierce?_ " the stranger mocked.

"Shut up!" Takashi yowled as he continued to struggle. The man smirked as the door flew open.

Thinking he was saved, Takashi turned to see who had arrived. He only found two spirits he'd never seen before. They were a humanoid mass of black liquid sludge, with a hollow-eyed mask for a face, and wearing white robes. Without a sound, they replaced the stranger's hands and kept Takashi pinned to the wall.

Still stunned from disbelief, Takashi hadn't tried to escape during the transfer. When he realized what happened, he slumped in defeat. "What do you want?"

He felt a hand gently grip his chin and pull his face up to meet the stranger's, "Your help."

Takashi looked around and, when he didn't find any visible spirit, he closed his eyes and concentrated on finding any spirit's presence. As soon as his energy brushed against it, he recoiled. Whatever was attached to this man, was angry, hateful even, and incredibly powerful.

"Whatever is after you, _keep_ it away from here." Takashi demanded.

The stranger's eye widened slightly as he released Takashi's chin, "So it's true." He muttered to himself. His face curled into a sinister smile, "Very well, _Takashi_. When you're ready to accept, I'll be at this address." He pulled out a card and placed it on the small table. "And don't worry. I'll take _good_ care of you."

"I don't need you to take care of me!"

"Unless you're admitting that you _do_ need someone to take care of you, I believe the phrase you meant to say was, 'I can take care of myself'. Not exactly true though, is it _Takashi_? I wouldn't call living in a shed on the edge of your friend's property caring for yourself…would you?"

Takashi wilted in defeat.

"I can give you a place, all your own. On the edge of the woods you cling to, where no one would bother you. Doesn't it sound nice, _Takashi_." He felt his chin tilted up again, he kept his eyes diverted downward and refused to make eye contact with the stranger. He saw and felt a shiver course through the stranger's body as the two spirits tightened their grip. "When you've decided, you know where I'll be."

Takashi watched as the man walked out of the door. His right shoulder brushed the doorframe on his way out. He took a few steps and turned to look at Takashi again. The spirits released their grip on him and slunk over to the stranger's side. Takashi kept his eyes on the ground and his head down.

He heard the man chuckle at him mockingly before he clenched his fists and looked right into the stranger's eye, "I hope whatever is after your eye appears sooner rather than later." He seethed.

"My, _Takashi_. What an incredibly hurtful thing to say?" the stranger smirked as he turned and left.

When the man was out of sight, Takashi rushed to the building that the Tanumas lived in. When he opened the door, he found Kaname slumped against the wall, obviously knocked out. Takashi rushed to his side, "Kaname? Are you all right?"

With a groan, Kaname cracked his eyes open. When he saw Takashi he immediately grabbed his shoulders to pull himself up, Takashi winced in pain. Noticing his friend's distress, he asked, "What's wrong? One minute I was going to answer the door…the next you're in here- Takashi, you're hurt!"

" _I'm_ fine. The question is, are _you_ okay?" Kaname rubbed his head and winced before he nodded. A thought occurred to the both of them in that instant.

"Where's my dad?"

"Where's your dad?"

Anxiety filled them both as they began to search for Kaname's father. Despite their reluctance, they agreed that splitting up would make locating the man easier.

Takashi was heading to the last building he had to check, when he heard Kaname call his name. He turned to find both of the Tanumas okay, if a little worse for wear.

Apparently Kaname's father met the same fate that his son did. He heard a noise and when he went to investigate he blacked out. Takashi told them about the strange man and the weird creatures that were with him.

"Sounds like they were servants of his." The older Tanuma commented.

"What do you mean?" Takashi asked.

"I've heard that exorcists have things like servants. They're spirits that are contracted to do the exorcist's bidding. I don't really know that much, sorry. But even _I_ have heard about the basics of the exorcist world. We're a stone's throw away from one of the most powerful exorcist clans to date, the Matobas."

"What are _they_ like?" Takashi pried.

"Again, I don't know much. All I know is they charge the people they help, and they even make people who have nothing wrong with them and seek their help pay them for their services anyway."

Takashi felt a wave of disgust. But, a small part of him said that if people wanted to throw their money away, then so be it. He squashed that negative feeling.

"Do you think they'd help us?"

"With what?"

"The evil presence I felt. Despite how much I don't like him…" Takashi sighed, "No one deserves to have something like that after their eye."

"I don't know, Takashi. This guy sounds like serious trouble. Not to mention the incredibly strong energy you felt." The monk replied.

"What do you think, Kaname?" Takashi asked when he noticed his friend staring at his hands in contemplation.

Jerked from his thoughts, Kaname snapped his gaze up to meet his friend's. "I think it's worth a try. If they agree to help us then maybe you won't even have to _do_ anything. Worst case scenario is that it is too expensive or they outright refuse us."

"I guess you're right, Kaname." Takashi admitted. Something still felt off about this whole situation, but Takashi had no idea what it could be.

After they had all recovered from the incident and secured the grounds, the three agreed to meet at the entrance of Yatsuhara early the next morning. Takashi watched as the two Tanumas went inside their sleeping quarters before he ventured into the forest to meet with Hinoe and Madara. The card that the stranger had left sat forgotten on the table.

He thought it was odd that he didn't see a single spirit on his way there. When he arrived at the old Natsume shrine he discovered the reason.

With a snarl, Madara's hackles rose and he faced the direction Takashi was in. When the spirit focused he found the child he'd helped raise. He was still clearly shaken as he asked, "What happened, Takashi?"

Matoba Seiji was a patient man. Rather, he could be. If the wait was worth his time.

He had originally gone to Yatsuhara to determine if Takashi the Fortune Teller had any credibility whatsoever. He had been surprised when, not only had Takashi sensed the spirit attached to him, but was able to tell exactly how dangerous it was. The young man had incredible power. So much _potential_.

The other thing that surprised him, other than the fact that he was as pretty as the rumors and as fierce as an animal when cornered, was that he went by his _true_ name. He'd always had a talent for manipulation, and the bending of the first name rule for his benefit was his specialty. Ah, but Takashi was strong. Others would have succumbed all too easily, but what he lacked in physical strength Takashi made up for in spiritual power.

So, yes. Matoba Seiji was a patient man, and he would wait until Takashi yielded to him. Because Takashi was worth every second.


	10. Chapter 10

_With a snarl, Madara's hackles rose and he faced the direction Takashi was in. When the spirit focused he found Takashi. He was still clearly shaken as he asked, "What happened, Takashi?"_

Takashi calmly approached the agitated spirit with his hands extended in front of him placatingly. "It's okay, Madara. I'm fine, just a little spooked."

Madara took another whiff of the air and realized that the smell was slightly faded. He managed to calm himself down. With his eyes closed, he felt Takashi's hand brush over the fur on his face.

"It's okay, Madara." The young man soothed.

The spirit let slip a sigh of satisfaction, before he shook his massive head and dislodged Takashi's hand.

"Where's Hinoe?"

"I believe she left to seduce a spirit we met at a drinking party."

"Drinking party?" Takashi asked.

"Yeah. When you left, we began to go crazy just sitting here waiting for you. A few days passed before we realized that we were _finally_ free to come and go as we pleased." Takashi laughed at Madara's admission. He was glad that his leaving hadn't affected them too harshly.

The spirit's face became solemn as he asked again, more calmly, about what had happened.

"There was a strange man who came by today. He had these creatures with him. They were made of, something that I can only describe as black ooze." Takashi paused, "Kaname's dad seems to think that he was an exorcist."

"Well, whoever he is, stay away from him." Madara advised. "I don't like the smell of that man."

"Takashi?"

Takashi turned towards the voice and found Hinoe walking towards him. When she got a little closer, she too became wary at the lingering presence the boy had on him. Takashi explained what had occurred to her as well.

After Hinoe's fawning over him because "evil human men were touching her sweet child", things settled down and they began to discuss Takashi's plans.

"I think, with your spiritual power, a single punch should get rid of that guy's servants."

"But I couldn't even _try_ to hit them." Takashi admitted self-consciously.

"Why not?" Madara asked as he remembered all of the training he had put Takashi through during his stay with them. "Have your skills faded without use over time, Takashi?"

The young man blushed as he averted his eyes. "I…I tried to fight like you taught me. He-" Takashi hid his face behind his hands as he recalled the memory and became horrified all over again. "He made fun of me."

Madara and Hinoe exchanged a look. While their child was exceptionally strong, in their eyes, obviously it didn't have the same impact on a human.

"Is there any other method that I can use?" Takashi asked.

"Well, if punching and scratching doesn't work…all I can think of is manipulation." Madara suggested.

"How would I do that?"

"Use his desires to your advantage." Madara answered simply.

"The only thing he wants is for me to help him." Takashi looked into Madara's eyes. "But whatever's after him is incredibly powerful. I don't want to get anyone hurt."

"See if you can get this guy's name. I'll look into it for you." Hinoe offered. Takashi gave her a nod of thanks.

After that, the conversation turned to more pleasant things. They visited for a few hours and Takashi discovered that Hinoe had been able to endure the presence of a human man for an entire _hour_ before she had to return to the forest and find a pretty woman to comfort her.

The next morning, Takashi found both of the Tanumas talking amongst themselves at the entrance of Yatsuhara. Apparently, they were both incredibly anxious about this meeting and had barely slept. They'd been surprised to discover that Takashi had not been anywhere on the property that morning.

They were in the middle of a heated debate on whether or not to look for him when he'd arrived. "Takashi!" they'd greeted. Kaname stepped in front of his father. "Where were you?"

"I went to go meet up with my family." Takashi had learned early on that if he called Madara and Hinoe his family that there were fewer questions he had to answer.

"See, I told you." Kaname's father chided his son. "There was no reason to panic." Though, he too had been worried if Takashi was all right and had planned to search for him if he hadn't arrived at sunrise.

The three men ensured they were ready for their trek before they departed.

It took them two hours to get there. They'd circled around the town since Takashi was still wary of crowds of humans. They'd probably saved time without the constant harassment and gratitude that would have befallen Takashi if they had entered the town.

The Matoba estate, for there was no other way it could be described, was sectioned off by a stone wall. There was an impressive wooden archway at the entrance and a solid dirt path leading to thick, ornate wooden doors.

The oldest of them reached out and knocked solidly on the door. They waited a few minutes before Kaname raised his hand to knock as well. Just before he made contact, the door slid open.

The older woman that had opened the door watched unimpressed as Kaname quickly pulled his hand back and scratched at his opposite arm. She reached up and adjusted her glasses before she tucked a strand of her grey hair behind her ear.

"May I help you?" she asked pointedly. The glare from her glasses made it impossible to see what her eyes looked like.

Takashi took a deep breath to steady himself, "There was a man who came to my house yesterday. He said he needed help with a spirit that was after his eye?" He'd smudged the details a bit to protect his identity.

The woman's eyebrows rose in surprise, "Did you catch the name of this man?" Takashi shook his head. "Very well, follow me." She turned on her heel and without checking to see if they were following she made her way deeper into the house.

The three scrambled to catch up.

They walked down several winding hallways until they forgot which way led back outside. The woman stopped in front of one of the many rooms along the hallway and slid open the door. Inside was a large mat spread over old wooden floors. There was a low table in the middle of the room with four cushions for seats.

"Wait here while I let the Head of the Matobas know you are here." She stood to the side and watched the three men file in as they took in their surroundings. When the last one made it past the doorway, she slid the door closed.

The three men remarked on how confusing the house was and chuckled nervously when none of them could recall how to return to the outside world.

The woman appeared again shortly and instructed Takashi to follow her. When the Tanumas motioned to stand up she reported that the Head wanted to limit the amount of people in his room at one time. The Tanumas shared an anxious look with their friend before Takashi assured them that he would be fine.

When he was out of the room he turned to watch the Tanumas as the woman exited behind him. The woman closed the door and cut off their connection before she turned and walked, if possible, further into the house.

Takashi tried to make light conversation as they walked, but the woman remained silent.

Their journey lasted so long that Takashi was sure that, if he called out for help, his friends wouldn't be able to hear him. As soon as he had that thought, the woman stopped in front of a different door.

She gave a quick knock and waited until the person inside granted her permission to enter. At the sound of the voice, Takashi felt a cold sweat on the back of his neck. _There was no way._

The woman opened the door and motioned for Takashi to enter. He stepped in with trepidation and after he crossed the entryway, the door snapped shut behind him. The other person in the room was sitting behind a desk with his hands steepled in front of his face, so that only a single black eye was visible.

The stranger from before was the head of the Matoba Clan.


	11. Chapter 11

Matoba watched as Takashi was trapped in the room with him. His single eye watched as the young man approached his desk.

"What are you trying to achieve?" Takashi asked angrily.

" _You_ walked into _my_ house, Takashi. I thought you accepted my offer." Matoba replied as he placed his hands on his desk. He didn't try and use his manipulative skills on Takashi again, what would that do other than push him away?

"We were coming to ask for help with your problem, but since you are… _you_ , this trip was a waste."

"You didn't look at the address on that card I left?" Matoba asked, his single visible eye slightly widened in surprise.

"You didn't-", Takashi searched his memories before he realized recalled that Matoba had left a card on his table.

His sudden realization must have shown on his face, because Matoba chuckled quietly, "You actually came here without any knowledge of who you were going to meet?" He let out a louder chuckle after he'd finished, as if finding it even funnier when the situation was said out loud. It only lasted for a few seconds before he returned to his serious demeanor.

"You obviously want to help me. Despite what you said yesterday." Matoba watched as Takashi stiffened at the memory. With a sigh, Matoba continued, "What happened yesterday… I apologize. My actions were out of line. I merely wished to ensure you were authentic. There have been many people who settle down here and claim to have abilities they do not possess." Matoba spoke measuredly as he chose his words carefully.

"You hurt me." Takashi accused.

Matoba watched the boy in front of his subconsciously rub his shoulder, "… I did not mean to."

And damn if it didn't sound sincere.

With a sigh, Takashi forgave him. Hinoe would have probably scolded him for accepting the apology so easily, but there were many spirits and humans who had upset him before. Was he supposed to just hang on to it? No, he decided, as long as they apologized he would forgive them.

Besides, this was to Takashi's benefit. Now he knew what he could use to manipulate the man in front of him if he upset Takashi again. _Madara would be proud._

"If you use those… _things_ on me again. Our deal's off." Takashi decided.

"Done." Matoba agreed instantly. He could control Takashi easily if he had to.

Takashi nodded before he began to ask about the details of the spirit attached to Matoba's eye. He learned that a previous head of the Matoba Clan had made a deal with this spirit in order to gain its power. They had offered their right eye as their payment, but in the end, they had cheated the spirit.

The spirit has been going after the right eyes of the heads of the Matoba Clan ever since.

"Just give it your eye." Takashi answered. Problem solved.

Matoba eyed the boy in front of him and realized he was being serious. "No."

"Why not?"

 _Was he serious?_ "Takashi, would you like to lose _your_ eye because one of your ancestors broke their promise?"

"Well, when you put it that way, I can understand why you wouldn't." Takashi sighed as he looked up in deliberation. "There are some spirits who are searching for information now, but anything else you can offer would be useful."

"I've told you all I know. I'm afraid I don't even know where the spirit dwells when it isn't trying to rip my eye from its socket."

Takashi winced, "How have you been able to live like this?"

The more he talked with Matoba, the less paranoid he began to feel. It helped that he was standing near a door, while Matoba was sitting behind a desk. A false sense of security.

Matoba gestured to his eye patch and explained that it helped keep the spirit at bay. "You know, the spirit attacked me once." He mentioned. "Left a pretty nasty scar."

"Would you like to see what happens when you let _them_ too close?" he began to stand, and raised a hand to his face. He began to slide his hand under his eye patch and Takashi stood paralyzed. _Did he want to see this?_ A sort of sick curiosity welled from within him as he watched Matoba slowly slide his eyepatch up.

There was a small scar on Matoba's cheek under his right eye, and a small section of his right eyebrow was gone. Takashi didn't want to say he felt disappointed, but he had certainly expected more. It must have shown on his face because Matoba chuckled again.

"You didn't think that I would allow a spirit to do anything too damaging, did you?"

A large part of Takashi agreed that it felt stupid to think that Matoba would allow anyone to get the best of him. "Well," he announced, "I should get back to my friends now."

Matoba stared at him for a long stretch of time before he spoke, "Yes. Sorry to have used up so much of your time. I hope to hear from you soon." _With good news_ , was left unsaid.

With a nod, Takashi heard the door behind him slide open. One of those ooze creatures was standing there.

"He'll take you back to your friends."

Takashi turned to shoot Matoba a dirty look. He received an innocent wave farewell and turned his nervous gaze to the spirit in front of him. It was just standing there. With a sigh, Takashi exited the room and followed the thing in front of him back to his friends.

When the door opened, the Tanumas jumped up and rushed to Takashi to make sure he was unharmed. The blond explained what had occurred in Matobas room. He did _not_ mention that the stranger from before was who was waiting for him, because he didn't want them to panic.

They did not seem to notice the shadow figure that loomed over them, and Takashi felt the smallest degree of distance between him and the Tanumas. His thoughts were interrupted by Kaname as he rested a hand lightly on Takashi's shoulder. At his questioning and concerned look, Takashi answered, "I'm fine."

Kaname dropped the subject, but not before he gave Takashi a long, meaningful look.

The spirit led Takashi, and by proxy, the Tanumas to the exit. The father-son duo didn't ask how the blond was able to navigate them out of the large maze of a house.

They didn't see the woman until they reached the front door. She gave a quick nod to Takashi before she opened the door.

When they arrived home, Takashi bid the Tanumas farewell and left to go speak with Madara and Hinoe.

Madara's nose wrinkled at the unpleasant scent that clung to him, and he covered his snout with one of his paws. "Takashi, could you move downwind please? Or go roll in the mud for a bit?" his voice was nasally.

Takashi laughed at his antics as he walked around the clearing of the shrine until Madara was satisfied. "Sorry."

Madara hummed as he accepted Takashi's apology.

Hinoe who had been watching the exchange as she took a few drags from her pipe, approached Takashi gracefully. When she got closer, she exhaled her smoke in Takashi's direction.

"Hey!" he complained.

"There, now you don't stink like exorcist." She explained. Takashi raised his shirt to sniff himself, and only smelled the aroma of Hinoe's smoke.

Madara took a few hesitant whiffs of the air before he stood and thanked Hinoe. She gave him a wave of acknowledgement.

"So, did you find out anything more about the spirit I mentioned?" Takashi asked.

"About that, the man that bothered you yesterday is an exorcist by the name of Matoba Seiji." Madara mentioned.

"Yes, I know."

"Well, _excuse_ me." Madara huffed to himself.

"Is there anything else you can tell me?"

"Well, there was a deal that was broken-".

"Yes, yes. What about the spirit, though?" Madara took a calming breath as Takashi continued to interrupt him.

"The _spirit_ that is after Matoba is incredibly powerful. Not as much as me, mind you, but I wouldn't go making this spirit angry."

"Would you help me make it see reason?" Takashi asked.

"I won't lift a paw to help that man. He's a-".

"Please, Madara?" the beast looked down at Takashi sternly, not willing to give in. "What if I could get you some high-quality alcohol?"

"Tempting… but no. I can get that on my own."

" _I'll_ help you, Takashi." Hinoe interjected. "Apparently Madara's too scared."

"Hinoe!" Madara yelled scandalized, " _You_ would help an exorcist? A male exorcist?"

Hinoe shivered in disgust before she replied, "I'm not doing it for him. I'm doing this for Takashi. You know as well as I that Takashi is going to go risking his neck to help that man. I don't see anything wrong with making sure Takashi doesn't get hurt while he talks with this spirit."

Madara gave a considering look at the blue haired spirit and the blond boy in front of him. With a sigh of defeat, "When you put it that way, it makes me seem like _I'm_ in the wrong."

Hinoe hummed vaguely.

"Fine. Let's go talk with this spirit."


	12. Chapter 12

Takashi was having trouble wrapping his mind around the spirit in front of him. Its form continuously shifted and was incredibly disorienting to witness.

He, Madara, and Hinoe had all wandered around looking for the spirit that was after Matoba's eye for a few hours. Luckily, it seemed the spirit never strayed too far from its prey.

The spirit, wary of Madara and Hinoe's presence, restrained itself from attacking the human child in front of it. Its infernal bond with the Matoba Clan head depleted the amount of power it had at its disposal.

"What do you want, human child?" its dark voice creaked out.

"So, I heard you made a deal with the previous head of the Matobas and it fell through. Now you're attacking the current head." Takashi confirmed.

The spirit tensed, at least Takashi thought it did, and hissed, "Have you come here to seal me?"

Madara growled and leaned over Takashi protectively as the young man held up his hands defensively. "I know you won't believe me, but I promise I didn't come here to seal you away."

"Filthy human promises. Not worth the breath used to speak them." The spirit growled.

"I just wanted to ask if you would come back and collect the current head's eye later? What's another fifty years to you if you can settle your debt and be free from this family, once and for all." Takashi shared a quick glance with Madara. He received a nod to continue. "I'm not sure if you have heard from the other spirits, but my name is Takashi."

The spirit's eyes widened almost imperceptibly in recognition.

"I am willing to make a promise with you. If you make an extension before you collect Matoba's eye, I can ensure that you get it."

The spirit gave him a long considering look that had a small spark of hope within.

"Very well. I'll give him twenty years more of freedom. After that I _will_ be getting an eye. Whether it is his or _yours_. Deal?"

Takashi swallowed audibly. He looked back at Hinoe and Madara. He could make sure Matoba would fork over his eye when the time came… right?

Steeling himself, Takashi nodded, "Deal."

"One other thing, Takashi. I demand something to tide me over until the twenty years are up."

The young man winced, expecting that the deal wouldn't go as smoothly as it had. "What is it?"

"I demand something from both you and that liar, Matoba." The spirit's many eyes stared Takashi down, watching for any reluctance. "A severed length of hair."

Takashi took a moment to process the words before he agreed, "Done."

Now, he finally had an excuse to cut his long hair. Even better, Hinoe was here to witness it.

 _'_ _Nooo.'_

Takashi could feel Hinoe's horrified stare after he'd agreed. There was no turning back now, at least, that was the story he was going to weave to her.

"That was foolish, Takashi." Hinoe admonished as she carded her fingers through Takashi's long hair. "How are you going to make sure that filthy exorcist follows through on his end of the bargain?"

Madara snorted, "How do we know that the _spirit_ is going to keep its end of the bargain?"

Takashi sighed, "Guys, I don't think that spirit was lying. Couldn't you sense it? Its power has been sapped for so long from that contract, it _wants_ to be done with that deal."

He continued under his breath, "I have a feeling that the attack Matoba suffered when he was younger might have been a last-ditch effort to get its power back."

"I don't like it, Takashi. But…", Hinoe shared a nod with Madara before she continued, "we're with you."

The young man turned around and gave the two a bright smile, "Thanks, you guys. I'm glad to know I can always count on you."

"Don't get too used to it, brat." Madara huffed as he turned away from Takashi, his body language indicated he was incredibly flustered.

Takashi and Hinoe laughed at his expense good-naturedly. Madara's sour mood from before was replaced with mock aggravation. The general mood was lightened as Takashi was escorted to the edge of the woods.

Madara would have gone with Takashi if the man had asked, but if the spirit was being honest, he was glad that he didn't have to meet the exorcist in person.

After the events that had occurred the first time Takashi had visited the Matoba house, he was a little miffed that his second adventure into the house wasn't nearly as mysterious. He knocked and waited patiently to be led inside.

"Ah, Takashi. I was wondering when you'd turn up again."

Takashi turned around and found Matoba leisurely approaching. He had an umbrella casually thrown over his shoulder and his usual eyepatch. His soon-to-be-short hair was tied back loosely.

"Matoba." Takashi greeted with a nod. "I have renegotiated a deal for you."

The exorcist made an impressed sound before he motioned for Takashi to follow inside.

After the series of hallways, which Takashi discovered were not _nearly_ as complicated as that old woman from before had made them seem, they arrived in Matoba's room. The older man must have seen the confused look on his face, because he began to explain.

"Nanase usually likes to play small pranks on people visiting. Normally, I would play into it and make you wander around to get you hopelessly confused inside this house's layout. But, I don't want to waste my time." He cast a quick glance and a smirk, that may have been trying to be apologetic, "Sorry, _our_ time."

Takashi remained silent as he waited for Matoba to settle behind his desk. When the older man settled in his seat and gestured for Takashi to sit as well, Takashi declined with a subtle shake of his head.

Matoba gave him a look that seemed to say ' _Suit yourself.'_ , before he motioned for Takashi to give him the details of this new deal.

"The spirit agreed to give you twenty years before it returns for the eye. In that time, it will leave you alone. Meaning you could remove that eyepatch safely."

"That would make me forty-six." Takashi heard the other muse to himself.

"There's more." Matoba motioned for him to continue. "It demanded that we give it a severed length of our hair."

The exorcist's eye widened for a moment, before it narrowed with suspicion.

"I hope you're not serious, _Takashi_." The young man shivered before he regained his composure. He shot a nasty glare at the older man in warning.

"That's the deal, Matoba. Now you can give it your hair and lose an eye later, or you can lose your eye any time you turn a corner." Takashi bravely leaned forward. "Take it or leave it. I only stuck my neck out for you, no big deal. Sorry you have to give up some hair. _That will grow back._ " This was it. Either Matoba would do this willingly, or Takashi would have to persuade him, the spirit he'd dealt with would _not_ take another broken promise lightly.

The older man sat in silence for a long time. Takashi had no idea what the other was thinking, but he hoped he was at least _considering_ the offer.

"Very well, Takashi. But if you try to do anything with this hair, other than offer it to this spirit, I _will_ make you regret it." Matoba stood threateningly, "I promise you that, _Takashi_. And I am _not_ like my predecessors."

Takashi took a step back in fear and confusion as he recovered from the effects of his name being called. "What would I do with your hair?" He asked genuinely flabbergasted.

The older man stood straight, his eye wide again. He let out the most real sounding laugh he'd ever heard Matoba emit.

" _Of course_ , you have no idea how this underhanded human world works." He laughed some more. Takashi was beginning to feel mocked.

As he opened his mouth to tell Matoba to stop, the other held up a hand to signal he was done before he controlled himself. Still chuckling, he reached into the first drawer of his desk. Takashi watched as the other pulled out a weird looking rectangle of an object.

When the other pulled at its ends and revealed a wickedly sharp blade, Takashi flinched and pressed himself against the door. He was so focused on the silver glinting at him, that he missed the soft smile that briefly stole over Matoba's lips.

"It's fine, Takashi." He announced reassuringly. With a quick movement, he grabbed at his loosely tied hair and with a few sawing motions, his now shorter hair fell around his chin.

He offered the bundle of his hair to the other with an unreadable smile.

Takashi took it carefully, wondering how the other felt with his new look. The shorter hair was just as silky looking as it had been before, but without the added weight his hair puffed a little.

Takashi thought it was cute. He felt his face flush and he ducked his head to hide it.

"Would you like me to cut yours?"

If he hadn't been so flustered, he might have realized how dangerous this situation was. But, he didn't feel any ill intentions from the other so he figured it would be safe.

Unbeknownst to him, Matoba was marveling at the level of trust he'd just been shown. He bunched the honey colored hair in his hand and admired its softness.

 _Such a shame._ He thought, as he cut through Takashi's hair. When the last bit was severed, he realized he'd cut it a little too close.

Takashi turned to look up at him and smiled as he touched his incredibly short hair. He looked almost relieved to have his long hair removed. With his short hair, a few strands curled up and resulted in many cowlicks. While still beautiful, Takashi's new hair length helped to show off his more masculine features.

"Thank you." Takashi exclaimed as he grabbed his hair from the other and examined it for himself.

"No Takashi, thank _you_. After you finish with this spirit, meet me at my front gate for your reward."

"Oh, that's not really-"

"I _insist_." _If only to keep Takashi isolated from others_ , were the thoughts Matoba had.

With a sigh, Takashi relented. Maybe at his new residence, he could live with Madara and Hinoe again…

But weren't they better off without him? They seemed to be happy now, and enjoying their lives without him around. Maybe it was _him_ that needed _them_.

Feeling more depressed than he had in a while, Takashi accepted Matoba's terms and left the exorcist's house without getting lost.

"So, you've returned. Do you have the hair?"

"Yes, I do." Takashi answered as he held up both bundles of hair in offering.

The spirit sniffed it before its eyes widened. Apparently surprised that Takashi hadn't tried to cheat him out of the deal. It gave him a long look before it swallowed both hair bundles. Takashi felt a momentary weakness after they disappeared down the spirit's mouth.

"I thank you, Takashi. You have proven to be trustworthy, so I shall uphold my end of the bargain. The Matoba exorcist will be safe for twenty years. After that, I _will_ be getting my eye."

With that foreboding promise, the spirit disappeared with a violent gust of wind.

Takashi returned to the Matoba's residence and found the older man leaning against the wooden pillar. When he heard Takashi's approach, the exorcist stood straight and faced the younger man.

At his questioning look, Takashi nodded, "It's done."

With a genuine smile, Matoba reached up and completely removed his eyepatch.

During the older man's ministrations, Takashi began cautioning him, "Remember, it is _only_ for twenty years. After that, you will _willingly_ give the spirit your eye."

"Yes, yes. Never mind that now though. Let me look at you fully." If Takashi didn't know any better, he'd swear the other was giddy with happiness. But Takashi did know better, there was no way Matoba could feel such light-hearted emotions. He was an exorcist. Exorcists were evil… weren't they?

Takashi felt his face gripped gently by the older man before he found their faces incredibly close together. Takashi's golden eyes watched the pools of black flick back and forth as Matoba took in everything about Takashi's face.

Takashi barely managed to hold back a laugh at the ridiculous actions of the other. But when the man's breath tickled his lips, Takashi struggled to break free as he felt his face heat up.

Matoba wasn't trying to control the other, for a brief moment, so he released the other easily. With a brisk apology, the exorcist reigned in his emotions. It was unseemly for him to be acting so childishly.

"All right, Takashi. Time for your reward."


	13. Chapter 13

Matoba had led Takashi quite a distance from his estate. Their journey passed in silence. Matoba was looking up at the trees and the fields that they passed. They didn't pass by any humans or spirits on their way to the house Matoba was rewarding Takashi with.

They stopped along the dirt road in front of an overgrown trail through the forest. "This is the path to your new home. Ordinary humans won't be able to find this trail so you won't be bothered anymore." Matoba turned around to face Takashi before he continued, "Of course, this means if you wish to continue your work you're going to have to go into town or work from out of my residence. I suppose you _could_ always make the long trek to Yatsuhara." Matoba's face contorted into a facsimile of a smile. "But I doubt you'd be able to do that every day."

Takashi thought about bribing Madara into giving him a ride out to Yatsuhara every day, but then he remembered how well the two spirits that had cared for him were doing. Guilt prevented him from entertaining that idea any longer.

"I'm sure I'll figure something out, Matoba." Takashi answered after a moment.

Matoba hummed noncommittally before he turned and followed the trail into the forest. It was obvious he expected Takashi to follow him. With a sigh, the younger man started down the path to his new residence. Hopefully, he'd get used to it in the twenty years he'd be watching Matoba to make sure he kept his end of the bargain.

They followed the faded trail for a few minutes before a house came into view. It was a house large enough to fit an entire family. There was a porch on the side furthest from them that was sealed with wood paneling to prevent leaves and animals from entering the house.

Takashi took a few steps closer to the house, but the moment his hand touched the door he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He didn't feel watched or anything. But there was a memory attached to this property that gave him great concern.

"Takashi?"

The young man turned to face Matoba, having forgotten the other man's presence somehow. "Yes?"

"Is there something wrong?" Matoba stepped closer, both of his eyes revealing genuine concern.

"It…it's fine." Takashi saw Matoba's brow wrinkle at the obvious lie. "Actually, can you tell me the history of this house?"

Matoba watched him carefully, "If my memory is accurate, this was the old Natsume Clan's house. The Matoba Clan took possession of it… I believe it was fourteen years ago." Takashi's face paled, "I was only ten at the time so forgive me if the details are a little fuzzy."

"What…" Takashi took a steadying breath, hoping Matoba wouldn't notice. "What do you mean, taken?"

"All I know is that there were some local exorcists who committed terrible crimes here. The Matoba Clan dealt with them personally, I believe."

Takashi felt his heart drop and he heard his blood rushing in his ears. "What?" His voice sounded far away.

"I don't know all of the details… but I could look into it for you." The exorcist offered.

It took him longer than it should have to understand the older man. "Y-yes. Thank you… Matoba."

The blond edged away from the exorcist towards the door.

"I could send some shiki over to help you clean the place-"

"No!" Takashi didn't want those shiki near him alone. Matoba looked concerned at the conviction in Takashi's voice. "Sorry. No, thank you. I can handle it."

Sensing that Takashi wanted to be alone, Matoba went forward and opened the door before he handed a copy of the key to the blond. "I'll leave you to it then." Because he was standing in the doorway, Takashi brushed past the exorcist. "I'll be back soon to see how you're settling in." The comment seemed nice on the surface, but Takashi could hear the subtle warning. ' _I'm coming back and you'd better be here.'_

With a nod, Takashi turned away, feeling his entire body tense. There was silence where he could feel the other's eyes on his back before Matoba sighed from behind him and the sound of the door shutting followed.

Takashi heard the other's retreating footsteps and felt his tension leave him in a breath.

He looked around at the house's entryway. The air was stale and the house was cold from not being lived in. Takashi couldn't sense any spirits within and found a small moment of gratitude.

Shaking his head, he headed towards the porch and removed the wooden coverings that prevented airflow. The process lasted for longer than it should have because the wood seemed stuck in place. But with the right amount of force, Takashi managed to remove every piece.

He looked out at the overgrown field and felt something scratch at his mind. He tried to determine if he felt anything else, but nothing came that helped him remember.

Shaking his head, he turned his attention to the inside of the house. Already, it felt more alive.

Feeling slightly better, Takashi ventured further into the house. He found that it was already furnished, but the amount of dust everywhere indicated that none of it had been used in a long time. He searched the house and discovered several rooms that were empty save for some folded bedding on the ground. There was a kitchen complete with a refrigerated cabinet, that needed ice to serve its intended purpose, along with a gas stove, a small sink, and an abundance of counter space. Beside the kitchen was a large dining room. There was a large table there that seated eight at once. It too had dust covering it.

Moving on, Takashi discovered a closet with cleaning supplies in it. There was a bucket and several folded rags on a shelf that was supporting a broom. Smiling, Takashi reached for the rags.

He began to dust the surfaces from the top to the bottom. He had nothing better to do, if he was honest with himself. After the dusting, he began to sweep the rooms he intended to frequent. He started from the rooms furthest in and was gradually sweeping his pile of debris to the porch.

He had just finished his chore when the sound of birds caught his attention. He watched as a nest of young birds flew away. He thought he saw…

Shrugging, Takashi turned and put the broom away. He wandered for a few more moments before his curiosity got the better of him and he went to investigate the now empty nest.

He climbed the tree with slightly less grace than he'd had as a child. A little out-of-practice after years of not climbing any trees.

He pulled himself level to the nest and peeked inside. He felt a small stab of pity when he found a single egg inside. He didn't know what possessed him, maybe curiosity again, but he reached for the egg. When his hand made contact, he was struck by its warmth.

He placed his palm over it to confirm that it was indeed warm. He looked to the skies, almost expecting an angry mother bird to come peck at his eyes. But there was nothing. Feeling a surge of protectiveness for this egg, Takashi carefully removed it from the nest and cradled it against his chest as he climbed down from the tree.

He made his way inside and grabbed some more cloths from the cleaning supplies closet. He wrapped the egg before he made his way to one of the rooms he'd claimed as his own during his cleaning spree.

He set the egg down carefully before he unfolded the bedding. It smelled stale as well. Sighing, Takashi promised the egg he would be right back before he dragged the bedding to the porch. He tried to air it out with a few shakes and succeeded marginally.

Takashi dragged the bedding back inside his new room and made it comfortable. He grabbed the egg, which had cooled slightly, and crawled into the bedding with it. He decided to try and take a nap until Matoba's promised return.

He didn't think he would actually sleep, but he must have dozed off because he heard the front door rattling. Panicked, Takashi subconsciously clutched the egg closer to his chest as he stood and prepared to leave out of the porch door. When the door opened to reveal Matoba, Takashi felt his building tension leave him without permission.

 _Since when had he deemed Matoba no longer a threat?_ Takashi didn't know.

"What's wrong, Takashi? You seemed a little tense…were you sleeping?"

Takashi watched the other smile genuinely as he approached. The blond had the sense to flinch away when the exorcist raised his hand, but was pleasantly surprised when he felt his hair being smoothed down. He looked up and watched as Matoba fussed with his messy bedhead.

"There. Much better." Matoba stood back to admire his work. Takashi was still trying to recover from his sudden realization that Matoba no longer scared him. "What is that?"

Takashi followed Matoba's gaze to his chest and found the egg clutched safely in his arms. "Oh, I found… this egg." Finally getting his brain to function at full capacity he continued, "I was cleaning and saw the rest of the birds fly away. I'm not sure what made me go look inside of the nest though."

Matoba looked outside and seemed to realize that Takashi had been sleeping with the porch wide open. "You really shouldn't leave these open, Takashi. Who knows what manner of beast might get you in your sleep?" It was clear he was only partially joking.

"Animals don't scare me… and I can handle spirits, Matoba." Takashi turned the egg to a more comfortable position as he stood in front of the porch with Matoba.

"I know, Takashi. You've more than proven yourself capable of dealing with spirits. Not that it matters."

Takashi felt a great deal of suspicion as he asked, "What do you mean?"

"I ensured that this place would be able to keep out even the strongest of spirits… or at least deter them."

"Ensured?"

"Yes, I've had wards placed all around the property to make sure no spirit comes after you." Matoba promised.

But Takashi read the underlying context. _You spirit friends can't help you here._

Swallowing thickly, Takashi thanked the other.

"Well, it has been a pleasure, but as you can see. I'm fine. Now leave." Takashi hadn't meant to be rude. He just had never had a guest that needed to be dismissed before. Any spirit that ever trespassed onto Madara's turf was quickly warned away, but Takashi didn't think that would be fair to Matoba. He also didn't think he had the physical strength to escort the man off of his new property. Or was it his old property? Either way… it was his.

He had been so lost in thought that he didn't notice the older man closing in on him. He found himself caged in with a wall behind him and Matoba's arms on either side of him. It felt eerily like the first time he'd met the man.

"I thought we were past this, Matoba?" Takashi snapped as the other continued to stare at him. It had been unnerving with only one eye, but now he had both of them scanning his face behind an unreadable mask.

"You know, _Takashi_? When asking someone to leave, it is only polite to make it seem like you want them to stay." Matoba leaned in closer.

"Why would I do that? I am ready for you to leave. So I told you to leave…" Takashi paused in thought before he realized, "Please leave?"

Matoba paused before he pulled away laughing. He covered his eyes with one hand and clutched at Takashi's shoulder with the other. When he'd calmed down a few moments later, he gave the younger man's shoulder a friendly pat.

"Sometimes you are too much, Takashi." He sighed and released the other. "I would do well to remember that you weren't raised by humans."

Takashi felt the hairs on the nape of his neck stand up again, "What? How did you?"

"A guess. But an accurate one if your reaction was any indication. I suspected something after our first encounter… but I wasn't quite sure what was different."

Takashi looked down, feeling stupid for being so obvious. He felt a hand on his shoulder again. It was odd how much the other touched him. But Kaname was always touching him like this, so maybe it wasn't weird.

Wondering if this was the case, Takashi placed his free hand on one of Matoba's shoulders. Well, he tried to. The exorcist grabbed his hand, and his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What do you think you're doing?"

Realizing he'd made some sort of human etiquette faux pas, Takashi quickly snatched his hand back, "Sorry! I just thought… since you and Kaname are always… that maybe. But, I guess I was wrong."

Matoba arched his unscarred brow, "Kaname?"

"From the shrine at Yatsuhara?"

"Ah, yes. I did a little research on the Tanumas before I contacted you. Were you and Kaname close?"

"Oh yes." Takashi confirmed, his eyes shone with delight as he prepared to talk about his amazing friend.

"Oh." Matoba sounded off. Takashi looked at the exorcist, but the older man turned away to wander around the house.

"He's my first friend." Takashi's statement had Matoba turning around to face him again. Apparently his interest renewed.

"Go on."

"Well… he's my friend. And his dad is good too. They're good humans." He wasn't used to talking about his friends to people, so he found it difficult to condense his wonderful experiences with them and put them in a noncommittal conversation.

"I'm glad." Matoba stepped closer to Takashi again.

With a serious nod Takashi replied, "Me too. If they were bad I probably wouldn't have been able to help all of those spirits and people during my time with the Tanumas."

Matoba stared at him with an unreadable expression. "Lucky for me, I suppose."

Takashi nodded. He looked around, feeling weird about just standing there. "Are you going to leave now?" A memory flashed through Takashi, "Please?"

Chuckling, Matoba relented and promised to see him tomorrow.

"Oh, and don't worry about your things. I'm having them delivered here tomorrow as well."

"That's really not necessary."

"It's fine." Matoba waved away Takashi's clear attempt to let the blond move his items himself. "You just keep settling in and I'll see you tomorrow."

Feeling something heavy settle on him, Takashi felt himself slowly being bound to the Natsume house.

His house.


	14. Tama

Takashi's things had been delivered the day after Matoba had first dropped him off at the house. The man hadn't stayed for long. Just dropped off some food and promised that he would be periodically checking in on him.

Takashi hadn't left or gone outside since then. He was too worried about something happening to the egg if he left with it. He also didn't want to know if Matoba or his shiki would do something to the egg if he left it at home. So… he stayed inside.

Takashi kept the egg with him at all times. He liked to keep it tucked safely in the nice pockets he'd sewn onto the insides of his robes. He was constantly touching it and admiring its warmth as he went about his days cleaning the house and finding food. Nothing too strenuous because he didn't want to accidentally squish the egg.

Sometimes he would feel it move and Takashi would freeze before gently rubbing the pocket where the egg rested. When he slept, the egg was wrapped in several layers of cloth that he'd scrounged together and placed beside his head where he wouldn't accidentally knock into it in his sleep.

It was on the sixth day that it happened.

Takashi was having pleasant dreams of visiting Madara and Hinoe. Of course, their fun was spoiled when Matoba's shiki showed up and took him away. He startled himself awake when his dream-self had its arm snapped.

He woke up in a cold sweat as he looked down at his arm. It was twisted in the blankets but otherwise perfectly normal. He marveled at how real the cracking sound was before there was another.

Startled, the young man looked around the room frantically before his gaze settled on the bundled egg. His eyes widened in realization as he knelt down in front of it excitedly.

Finally, his long days of waiting were over. He was going to finally see the bird inside of the egg. He hoped that it would stay with him when it was fully grown.

Takashi pulled the blankets away to reveal the warm egg as it shivered from within. It gave a few more twitches and the small crack widened significantly before there was a flash of light.

When he blinked the stars out of his eyes he looked down and found the tiniest child he had ever seen. With a sudden clarity, Takashi realized he'd successfully hatched a spirit.

"Uh-oh."

The child looked up at him and smiled. Its blond hair, pale skin, and even golden eyes were echoes of Takashi's appearance.

The genuine happiness melted Takashi's heart as he scooped up the newborn. He noticed tiny antlers growing from the child's head as he covered him with a cloth to stop his slight shivering.

"Let's get you something to wear." Takashi had grown so used to the quiet that his voice slightly startled him, but that was okay. Now he had someone to talk to.

He let the child wander around behind him wrapped in the cloth as he skillfully made some tiny robes. After he finished the first one he turned around to dress the baby.

Only to find he was missing.

With a gasp, Takashi searched the room and found the small child curled up in Takashi's bedding. With a sigh of relief, the young man set the robe aside and began working on a few more.

After he'd made five of them, his fingers started to hurt and he began to make careless mistakes. Deciding he'd made enough for now, Takashi packed up his supplies and stored them out of the child's reach.

He carefully crawled into his bedding next to the boy and observed him as he slept. A fond smile stole over Takashi's face as he watched the baby's small chest rise and fall. He would raise this child until he decided to leave, Takashi resolved.

He'd have to hide him away from Matoba… at least until he grew up a bit.

Takashi observed his new charge and smoothed the hair from his face.

"You need a name." Takashi announced. "But what to call you?"

The baby mumbled in his sleep as he was disturbed, but gave a soft sigh when Takashi's hand petted over the top of his head.

The young man hummed quietly in thought. "I could call you eggy… but I don't think that sounds like a very nice name." Takashi absentmindedly rubbed the child's head as he thought. "Perhaps something that has to do with how small you are?"

Takashi shook his head in dismissal. "No. What if you grow up to be humongous?" Takashi chuckled softly at the image of a giant version of this small being cuddled next to him.

At the sound of his laughter, the baby smiled and snuggled further into Takashi's warmth.

 _How precious_. Takashi thought, before it hit him. "How about… Tama?" The baby hummed happily at the sound of Takashi's voice which he could feel vibrate in the young man's chest because of their proximity.

Taking the child's reaction as consent, Takashi tucked the child closer to his chest. "Very well. Good night, Tama."

Takashi awoke to feel something poking insistently at his face. Wrinkling his brow, he sat up with a yawn. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Takashi looked down blearily and found Tama dressed in the robes he'd made for him last night.

"Figured out how to put them on yourself, did you?" Takashi asked. Tama puffed out his chest proudly which caused his robes to fall slightly.

The young man gave a fond laugh before he tied the robe more securely around the child's waist. "There. Now it shouldn't fall when you move."

Patting the new knot, Tama observed its intricate design. He took a few steps, and it became clear that he'd tripped quite a bit before he had awakened Takashi.

The young man noticed scuffs on the child's hands as Tama carefully stepped forward. When he didn't fall, he toddled a little faster before he made his way back to Takashi.

The blond felt a slight pressure as Tama hugged him with gratitude. "I'm glad you like it."

The child's stomach rumbled and Takashi decided it was time for breakfast. "Alright, Tama. Let's get you something to eat."

Not knowing quite what to give the boy, Takashi settled on making a fruity paste. He'd plucked some wild Akebia during his stay here from one of the trees outside of his porch. He was thankful that Hinoe had shown him the plants around where he'd lived and how to identify them. He carefully crushed one of the fruit's skin until it was simply mush before he took his only spoon and offered some to Tama.

The child, without any hesitation, leaned forward and bit the spoon. He considered its flavor as he chewed before swallowing and opening his mouth for more. Takashi smiled as he prepared another bite.

Tama's meal disappeared quickly and he appeared satisfied as he patted his tiny tummy.

"Was it good?" Takashi asked as he gently wiped the child's mouth with a clean, damp cloth.

Tama nodded happily as he toddled back to Takashi's lap and latched onto the fabric over his chest.

"You want to go back inside of the pocket?" he guessed. Takashi felt Tama nod his head, the antler tickling his chest through his robes.

The young man hummed as he picked the child up and tried to place him in his pocket. Tama barely fit, but he seemed to settle in rather quickly.

Takashi kept himself from hugging Tama, afraid that his powerful emotions would make him accidentally squeeze too hard.

The young man chose to do some light reading until Tama woke up. He didn't own many books, and the ones he did have were children's stories that the Tanumas had gifted him with when they'd taught him how to read.

He noticed in the back of his mind, that the sun was climbing higher in the sky as the shadows shortened on the ground outside. They had begun growing again when Tama stirred.

He finished the sentence he was reading before he asked, "Finally awake again?"

Tama hummed as he rubbed his tired eyes. He gave a yawn before smiling blearily up at Takashi's face. He looked down and noticed the book Takashi was holding. There was an intricate picture covering an entire page that depicted a happy looking dragon as it flew beside some birds.

"Un?" Tama pointed curiously at the picture.

Takashi followed the tiny finger to the image and guessed what he was being asked. "That's Ryuuko. She is happy because she learned how to fly." He explained.

Tama hummed as he stared at the picture some more. In the next moment, he was wriggling as he tried to escape the pocket he was nestled in.

Takashi gently helped him out and set him on the ground. Tama wandered around the room before he opened up one of the other books. He struggled with its weight, but seemed determined to accomplish his goal.

Takashi smiled as he looked down and pretended to read. He watched Tama as the child crawled over the book and stood at the top of it. He lifted the (much lighter than the cover) pages until he found one that had a picture. Realizing he was seeing it upside down, Tama shuffled around to the other side of the book.

The picture here was of a fierce dragon breathing fire onto a man in a suit of armor. In its claws was a terrified woman. Tama turned and pointed at the picture after he'd waved to get Takashi's attention.

"That's the story of a brave knight. He kills the evil dragon and saves the princess. But I don't really like that story. It doesn't say why the dragon kidnapped those girls and ate them. There were probably other things it could have eaten." Takashi scooted across the small distance between them to place his book over the other one.

"This one is much better. It's all about a baby dragon who dreams of flying and in the end, she does. No one gets hurt."

Tama traced his tiny finger over the image in admiration. Takashi watched as the child flipped to the next page to discover the dragon sleeping with the birds on top of it. The baby giggled at the sight before he looked up at Takashi in admiration.

"See? This book is _much_ better."

Tama continued to watch him before his tummy grumbled again.

"Hungry already? All you did was sleep!" Takashi chuckled as he scooped up the child and deposited him in his pocket once more.

"Alright, let's get you some more."

Takashi could have sworn that Tama fit inside of his pocket a little more earlier.

Tama grew at an alarming rate right before Takashi's eyes. The poor, young man already had to make several new outfits for the child. It had been four days since Tama had hatched, and Takashi had never been more relieved to not receive any visitors. Spirit or otherwise.

Tama tugged on the robe tied around Takashi's waist as the young man made them breakfast. Some eggs and a fish he'd caught in the nearby stream sizzled over the stove in a pan.

"What, Tama?"

The child reached up. He'd been wanting Takashi to hold him and carry him constantly. But he was getting too heavy to carry around with him everywhere. He rubbed the top of the boy's head fondly as he told him as much.

Tama didn't seem to appreciate the thought very much as his brow wrinkled. His lower lip quivered and Takashi turned off the stove to give Tama his full attention.

"What's wrong?"

"Uuh. Uhh." Tama's eyes began to glisten as he continued to reach up for Takashi and continued to whine pitifully.

The young man sighed, "You want up?"

"Uhh… uhh." Tama grew quieter as Takashi bent over to pick him up.

"You're going to have to hang on to my shoulders because we need to eat and breakfast isn't ready yet. Okay?"

Tama hummed in agreement before Takashi transferred him to his back.

"Are you good back there?"

Another hum in agreement and Takashi turned the stove back on. As the fish sizzled once more, Takashi felt Tama lean forward to try and see what was happening. The child's breath was loud in his ear as he watched the fish cook as well.

"Lean back, Tama. I don't want you to fall."

The child huffed before he relaxed to have a better grip on Takashi's shoulders. Sighing with relief, Takashi finished cooking the fish before he wiped out the pan and cooked the eggs.

He split the meal in half, Tama needed to eat quite a bit in order to keep up with his continuous growth spurts. He served some more fruits he'd collected alongside of it and their breakfast was ready.

Takashi still fed Tama, but was encouraging him to use the spoon himself. It was getting faster each day to feed the both of them and already they were falling into a routine.

After breakfast, Takashi sat Tama down in the main living area with a few picture books and cleaned the house. He wanted to try cleaning the floors today. So, with a burst of motivation, Takashi gathered the supplies and began to clean the floor.

Tama watched him as he passed back and forth in front of the door. He had to tell the child many times to stay in the room so he wouldn't leave footprints on the newly cleaned floor as it dried.

Tama grudgingly obeyed.

Takashi scrubbed at the floors until one of them moved. Alarmed, Takashi grabbed it to put it back into place. When he did, he noticed that there was a small hidden compartment underneath.

Curious, Takashi lifted the piece of flooring and discovered several books. Odd that they would be _here_ of all places.

He carefully pulled each one out and toted them to his room to inspect later. None of them really caught his eyes. They all seemed rather boring and nondescript.

He finished cleaning and looked after Tama some more. Before he knew it, the sun had set again and the day was over. Still no visitors.

Takashi tucked the small child into the bedding and gave his hair a few quick, soothing pets before he saw the books nearby and remembered that he'd wanted to investigate them.

He opened the books one by one and discovered that each one was far more complex than anything he was used to reading.

He set them aside rather quickly before he reached the next to last one in the pile. It was in the spirit language. " **The Book of Friends** "… curious.

He flipped it open and found a bunch of names, each one on its own sheet of paper. Shrugging, he closed it before moving on to the last book.

It was a photo album. He hesitantly flipped it open to reveal strangers that slightly resembled him in one way or another. He flipped through the pages quickly and it was only in the last two pages did he find pictures of a man who looked incredibly like him holding a small child that looked like Tama.

He supposed that was him and possibly his father. Takashi traced the man's face before frowning when no sudden memories struck him. Sighing in defeat, Takashi closed the album and crawled into bed beside Tama. He decided he would find somewhere for the new books when he woke up the next day.


End file.
